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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26690950">Little Brass Crows</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/retropeachyy/pseuds/retropeachyy'>retropeachyy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Awkward Kageyama Tobio, Domestic Fluff, Drug Use, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Hinata Shouyou is Sunshine, Insecure Yamaguchi Tadashi, Kageyama Tobio is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Nishinoya Yuu &amp; Tanaka Ryuunosuke are Bros, Protective Kageyama Tobio, Protective Sugawara Koushi, Slow Burn, Tsukishima Kei is a Little Shit, mafia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:26:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>103,362</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26690950</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/retropeachyy/pseuds/retropeachyy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Shoyo Hinata has a bad habit- he's a pickpocket con, and a good one at that. When you mess with the wrong target, you reap the ugly consequences. Or, perhaps in his case, you reap the raw power and pretty riches of being in an up and coming gang.</p><p>“What do you want?” the man questioned, breaking Hinata’s focus. </p><p>	“I want to know your name,” he replied.</p><p>	“I’m not going to give my name to a stranger.”</p><p>	Hinata’s heart did a double-take. He would break this man down any way he could.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Yachi Hitoka/Yamaguchi Tadashi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>73</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>256</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. How Strangers Properly Meet</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a disgustingly bitter winter day in Tokyo and Shoyo Hinata was becoming more frozen by the minute. His new home in the city wasn’t treating him as kindly as he’d hoped. So far today, he’d failed to hail a cab (multiple times), gotten locked out of his new apartment (his landlord was pissed and had to give up the only spare key), and now, was waiting feverishly at a bus stop (that was running up to thirty minutes late). Grocery bags in hand, Hinata prayed that by some miracle of God he’d be able to maintain his grip; his fingers were completely numb. </p><p>	I should have stayed in Miyagi, he thought to himself. With its rolling hills and quiet streets, he would have been able to manage a day like this with ease. Of course, there were some things Miyagi just couldn’t offer him. Still, he probably should have considered moving in the spring.</p><p>	He looked around him, desperate to set the bags down somewhere. He and every other citizen of the city were standing at the bus stop, he swore. Sure, he could set the bags on the floor around him and easily keep close watch, but he didn’t trust the people around him. He never did. </p><p>	People were self-absorbed. They were unpredictable and wild. They all had the power within them to overhaul anything or anyone they wanted to. There was a wild mind within people, always begging to be set loose upon the world. Hinata feared people as much as they should fear themselves.</p><p>	And so, despite the cold, Hinata gripped his bags closer to him. </p><p>	Moments later, the bus arrived, empty and seemingly uncompromised. What a waste of time, Hinata thought, and nothing to even show for it. Still, he bodied his way to the front of the pack to hopefully hunt for a seat to accommodate him and his groceries. </p><p>	Hinata was small for his age. Hell, Hinata was small in general. For a full grown man, 5’4 wasn’t much to be proud of. His secret weapon was his speed and brute strength. He was lean, short, but speedy as hell. He could body someone twice his height if he really tried to. And he sure was trying to now.</p><p>	He was pushing through the crowd, the raw discomfort of his situation propelling him forward. He was completely numb, plowing through the small crowd ahead of him with ease. That was until he hit the boulder of a man in front of him.</p><p>	The man turned around, shooting daggers into Hinata’s wide caramel eyes. Hinata was caught completely off guard, not only by the strength of the man, but of his eyes. Those gunmetal gray eyes, narrow and piercing, caught Hinata off guard. It was only for a moment, that vulnerability, before Hinata muttered “sorry,” to the man and took off towards the bus again.</p><p>	Nearing the doors, Hinata felt like he was reaching the gates of Heaven itself. Just before he could throw himself at the vehicle, a hand grabbed him tightly around the wrist. Hinata was pulled around forcefully so that he was facing the taller man again. The man leaned in close to Hinata, his eyes freezing him into place.</p><p>	“We’re all getting on the same bus. No need to get hostile,” the man growled. Hinata steeled his fiery resolve, determined not to let the other man scare him into submission.</p><p>	“Apologies, dude. I’ve got a fuckton of groceries I’ve got to get home. No need to get physical.” With that, the man dropped Hinata’s arm with a scoff, and stalked off into the bus. Hinata trailed after him, a fire within him ignited.</p><p>	This man was a challenge, and Hinata was going to conquer him.</p><p>	Hinata followed the man on the bus, searching for a seat that would allow him to remain close. His grocery bags be damned, he would cram into any space if he had to, just to engage in the competition. The man took a seat near the back at a window and pulled out massively expensive earbuds. Hinata’s face remained stoic, but his internal jaw absolutely fell to the ground at the sight.</p><p>	Hinata had never had much money growing up. His family got by just fine, but they never had much to spare and luxuries weren’t exactly a top priority for them.</p><p>	At least, they weren’t a top priority for anyone else in his family. But Hinata himself had a strange obsession, a primal desire, to have as many luxuries as he could possibly muster with what he had. It was harmless, really. Harmless to him, that is.</p><p>	Hinata could feel his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. His fingers clutched his bags tighter. He sat in the seat across the aisle from the man, facing him fully. The man didn’t acknowledge Hinata, which ticked him off. He desperately wanted to get a reaction out of him. He knew it was immature, but he got a high off irritating the man. It was indescribable, and he craved the feeling again.</p><p>	Hinata shimmied closer to the man. Still, no reaction. Hinata jumped up from his seat, sitting next to the man. The man glared at him.</p><p>	“Are you in a rush to get somewhere?” Hinata asked. The man didn’t say a word, rather he pointed to the earbuds and turned away. This wasn’t good enough for Hinata.</p><p>	“Hey, what’s your name? I just wanna talk dude!” He exclaimed. The man did not turn back around to face him. Hinata took this opportunity to really survey the man. </p><p>	Hinata could practically smell the money oozing off the man. Whatever job he had, it was important, and clearly well-paying. The man had raven hair, just shaggy enough to give him an effortless look while still being professional. His lips were curled in a permanent scowl, and his eyes reflected the annoyance he had with all around him. Still, the man was undeniably handsome. Hinata felt scrawny compared to him, with his messy fire orange hair and buggish eyes. Not to mention his exponentially smaller build.</p><p>	“What do you want?” the man questioned, breaking Hinata’s focus. </p><p>	“I want to know your name,” he replied.</p><p>	“I’m not going to give my name to a stranger.”</p><p>	Hinata’s heart did a double-take. He would break this man down any way he could.</p><p>	“We don’t have to be strangers! My name is Nakamoto.” This was a boldfaced lie. “Now, the polite thing to do would be to tell me your name. That way, we’ve properly greeted.”</p><p>	The man turned his head questiongly towards Hinata. What was the boy’s interest in him? Why did it matter? He needed to get this boy off his back.</p><p>	“I get it. You want me to help you with your homework, or something? Look kid, I’m not a tutor-”</p><p>	“I’m 22 years old, asshole!” Hinata exclaimed angrily. He sensed some heads on the bus turn to look at him, and he blushed at the sudden silence that followed. The man simply smirked and turned away again.</p><p>	Now, Hinata was pissed. The burning fire of competition within him ignited further. His fingers itched with anticipation. He took his jacket off; the heat of the moment was making him start to sweat. He knew his next move would be risky, but he didn’t care. The desire within him was growing to be too much, and he knew that the payoff would quite literally be worth it. </p><p>	He waited a few moments, trying to keep his angered facade strong. It was hard to keep the smirk off his face. He prayed that the man wouldn’t hear his heart pounding out of his chest. Hinata looked down to his bags. They weren’t quite full but they had multiple items in them. Varied items. It was the perfect set up, really.</p><p>	Hinata eyed the man’s hands. They were folded softly on his lap, decorated in a watch that was definitely worth more than Hinata’s apartment. His bag sat at his feet. It was full enough to stand on its own but it didn’t look heavy. Hinata wondered what could possibly be inside it.</p><p>	Perhaps the keys to a Mercedes? No, he would have just driven himself. Maybe his credit card? Not likely, this dude certainly wasn’t a fool. The possibilities were endless when it came to people like this.</p><p>	Hinata willed the moment to strike. The timing couldn’t mess up or the whole operation would fall apart. He knew what he needed to do, no matter how tacky it was. The two men may have been strangers, but Hinata knew him. And so, he simply said, “You’re really boring, yknow? Have a nice night, jerk.” With that, he stood up from his seat, letting a grocery bag slip from his hand in the general direction of the man’s bag.</p><p>	The man watched the contents of the bag spill out onto the floor. Idiot, he thought to himself. He acts like I even did something to piss him off. He couldn’t help himself but to smirk at Hinata’s dumbfounded little face. There was a hint of something on it, but he couldn’t quite tell.</p><p>	“Shut up. I got it,” Hinata said.</p><p>	“I didn’t say anything,” the man responded.</p><p>	Hinata bent down, sure to position his upper body so that he would shield the man’s line of sight from his hands as they worked to pick up the fallen items. Quickly he worked, picking up small items and putting them in his bags. Then, quickly, he hid a pack of gum in the backpack pocket. </p><p>	He continued to pick up the remaining items, leaving the gum for last. He reached in the pocket, removing the gum, and taking the opportunity to fish for something else. His hand closed around a velvet box, small and compact. Perfect size to palm. He placed the items in his bags and moved seats. When safely across the aisle, Hinata snuck a glance at the other man. His head was turned towards the window, seemingly unaware of what had just happened.</p><p>	Hinata’s fingers trembled. Whenever he pulled a play like this, his adrenaline always heightened his awareness. He felt like he could conquer the world, especially now, as he’d just conquered a man as obviously powerful as this one. He hadn’t even needed to use his words to con him.</p><p>	Hinata’s little pickpocket habit had only served him well.</p><p>	And he only borrowed from people who deserved it, just as this man did.</p><p>	The bus pulled up to Hinata’s stop. He damn near had to slam his feet to the ground so he wouldn’t skip giddily off the bus. Bags in hand, he made his way towards his apartment.</p><p>	He wondered what was in the man’s velvet box. Maybe a precious jewel he could sell for a few hundred thousand or maybe even million yen. Maybe it was the keys to his theoretical Mercedes. Honestly, what it was was of no importance to Hinata as long as he could make some quick cash with it. Maybe then he could move to a nicer apartment. Perhaps he should worry about his rent first, though.</p><p>	His job as a barista wasn’t getting him very far. He earned mainly from tips, and it wasn’t often that someone felt compelled to give him a tip. He would work another job, but he didn’t really have any particular interest in working for the rest of his life. He had no “dream job” because working simply wasn’t something he dreamed.</p><p>	But, until he could find some way to work a high-paying job without ever having to actually work, he’d be stuck doing some mundane thing like making lattes for actual responsible adults and students at the ass crack of dawn.</p><p>	He could always just become an escort, or something.</p><p>	Again, the familiar itch crawled up his spine. Hinata was nearly a block away from his apartment, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to wait that extra five minutes to see what was inside the box. No, he told himself. If you’re gonna make shitty decisions, at least wait until the safety of your own home to reap the consequences.</p><p>	And so, he picked up the pace, breaking into a jog as he made way towards his apartment.</p><p>	When he arrived, he fumbled with his new key (the other one disappeared, probably under the couch or something), trying desperately to open the door and let his curiosity take him over. </p><p>	When the door finally clicked, he nearly jumped for joy. He slipped inside and placed his bags carefully on the counter. He knew he should put them away before anything spoiled, but it wasn’t the priority at the moment. He greedily reached in and grabbed the velvet box. When his fingers felt its soft exterior, he felt his heart skip a beat. The box was only half of the excitement; its origin story was far more compelling to Hinata. He still was reveling in the feeling of beating that jerk on the bus. It was one of his more satisfying encounters.</p><p>He examined the velvet exterior. It was unassuming for the most part, besides the gold detailing of a bird on the top. It wasn’t a dove, that much was clear, but what else could it be? A hawk, maybe? Not a pigeon, and definitely not a parrot. It didn’t quite matter, the box itself was probably worth more than Hinata had originally anticipated just due to the gold embellishment. </p><p>Without a second thought, he flipped open the lip carefully, revealing a polished gold band with deep bluish black jewels studded in its finish. Hinata nearly passed out just looking at it; he’d never come across anything with this much worth before. It was absolutely beyond his comprehension. He felt weird just looking at it, almost like he was looking directly into the sun. It was better than anything he could have ever imagined. </p><p>He set the box down carefully and rummaged through the cabinets to find gloves. He didn’t want his fingers all over the precious metal, tarnishing its worth. He slipped on the gloves, taking the ring out of its case. He turned it over in his fingers, feeling the richness of it nearly pour into his soul. Out of curiosity, he slipped it on his finger. Ironically enough, factoring out the latex glove, it probably would have fit his finger with astonishing ease. Sometimes having girlish hands has its pros, he thought to himself.</p><p>And so, for the remainder of his night, excluding the daunting task of putting away his groceries, he kept the ring on his gloved hands, admiring its beauty in each turn of the light. </p><p>That night as Hinata was going to bed, he put the ring safely in its casing, vowing to take it to a shop tomorrow, hopefully to earn a massive break. Maybe he could go back to Miyagi to visit Natsu with that money. He locked the box in his safe- yes, Hinata had a safe. Yes, Hinata was a somewhat responsible functioning adult. He then curled up in his bed and let his mind carry him to sleep with the thoughts of the wealth that he was soon to gain.</p><p> </p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>Hinata woke up to the sound of light knocking on his door. He sat up groggily and checked the time on his phone. 3:21am? What the fuck? He got up, sliding his slippers on and throwing on his favorite robe. It was probably just his landlord, afterall, the asshole was nocturnal. Perhaps he was dropping off Hinata’s new key and needed the spare back. Hinata grabbed the spare from the counter, prepared to exchange it for his new one.</p><p>Without hesitation, he opened the door. Who stood before him was certainly not his landlord. </p><p>A man with a clean looking buzz cut and stocky build stood at his door. A neighbor? Hinata thought. </p><p>“H-how can I help you?” Hinata yawned at the man. It was probably improper, but it was 3 in the fucking morning after all.</p><p>“I think you have something of ours,” the man replied, completely stoic.</p><p>Hinata’s mind reeled. He hadn’t lived in the city for longer than four days, there was no way he’d ever met this man, nor did he owe him anything.</p><p>“I’m sorry, have we met? I just moved here,” Hinata clarified, rubbing his eyes. Maybe he just wasn’t seeing things straight. God forbid, he was lucid dreaming or sleep walking.</p><p>Suddenly, another man materialized beside the first. Hinata locked eyes with the new man, and all of the air escaped his lungs.</p><p>Raven hair. Gunmetal grey eyes. A perpetual scowl. <br/>“Not yet, but I think the two of you have,” the former man chuckled. </p><p>Hinata was frozen in place. His heart was beating a mile a minute. He knows, he thought.  He knows I took his ring. But Hinata just couldn’t bring himself to say a word, neither to confess, nor deny his crimes. He couldn’t even bother to question what the men were doing on his doorstep. He couldn’t hardly bring himself to breathe.</p><p>The man with the raven hair took a step towards Hinata. Towering over him, he could nearly feel the taller man’s breath on his forehead. He leaned in close to Hinata’s ear. Hinata prayed the man couldn’t hear his heartbeat.</p><p>“You wanted to know my name, right, Hinata?” Raven hair asked. Hinata’s eyes widened to the size of full moons. How the fuck does he know my name?</p><p>“Hinata. It suits you. Much more than Nakamoto. Why’d you lie to me?” The man asked.</p><p>Despite himself, Hinata couldn’t help the smirk that rose to his face. Despite the absurdity of the situation, the trembling of his body, and the cold sweats spreading over him, the words, “I’m not giving my name to a stranger,” escaped his lips, earning a solid gut punch from the taller man. </p><p>Hinata doubled over in pain, trying desperately to catch his breath. He never got the chance, as Buzzcut lifted him up, and injected him with some sort of drug to the neck. Hinata couldn’t even bring himself to fight back, he was too stunned from the entire encounter for his body to respond in any way. </p><p>Hinata could feel his consciousness start to wither away. He tried desperately to grab on to any tendril of his right mind, but it was slipping out of his reach with each exhale. Before his senses completely betrayed him, he felt the faraway sensation of fingers pulling his chin up. His eyes met the all too familiar gun metal grey.</p><p>“Nice to meet you, Shoyo Hinata. My name is Tobio Kageyama. There. Now we’ve properly greeted, just like you insisted.”</p><p>Then Hinata knew nothing at all.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. On the Hot Seat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It wasn’t everyday that Tobio Kageyama found himself kidnapping someone from their own home, but tonight was clearly the exception. He watched as his boss, Daichi Sawamura injected his prey with a sleeping agent and slung the unconscious man over his shoulder.</p><p>It certainly hadn’t been in the plans that night, but seeing how easily Shoyo Hinata thought he could get away with his con motivated both Daichi and Kageyama to do something about it. And naturally, taking Hinata hostage seemed like the perfect rebuttal.</p><p>Daichi huffed, trying to adjust to the new dead weight upon his shoulder. “Search the apartment, see if you can find the tracker.” Kageyama nodded in response as Daichi left him alone in the apartment.</p><p>Kageyama slipped on gloves so as to not leave his finger prints around the space. Not that it mattered much at all- Hinata already knew his full name and could easily turn him in if he felt it proper. However, Kageyama had a feeling that the police were going to stay very far from this situation.</p><p>He poked and prodded in the kitchen. Where would an idiot think to hide something? Kageyama pondered. He opened cabinets, drawers, even the fridge, just to cover all of the bases. After coming back empty handed, he turned to the living room.</p><p>He took apart the couch, searching under the cushions and below the couch itself. He surveyed the coffee table, covered in dog-eared mangas. He raided the bookshelf, making sure to check every last nook and cranny.</p><p>Kageyama sighed annoyedly. Couldn’t this fool have just been wearing it? That would have made everything so much easier.</p><p>He made his way to the bedroom. He flipped on the floor lamp and pondered at the state of the room. It was nearly devoid of any signs of life, with a simple bed and single pillow, hollow wardrobe, and a few moving boxes in the corner. Maybe Hinata was moving soon, that would certainly take care of this little issue they had. </p><p>He dug through the boxes only to find clothes and leftover manga within them. He overturned the mattress, finding nothing but dust bunnies beneath. His last hope was the wardrobe before he’d have to go search the bathroom. Kageyama nearly gagged just thinking about it. Not that Hinata seemed like a slob, but it was quite evident after searching the apartment that he wasn’t a clean freak.</p><p>Kageyama opened the doors of the wardrobe and was met with a few stray hangers and- A safe. This is where an idiot would hide something important, he thought. </p><p>After being in the mafia for a few years, Kageyama had learned a vital piece of information- A safe is never a smart place to hide valuables. Every time he’d raided someone’s house, all of the valuables were in the safe. It was the obvious place to hide things. But while it was technically the most safe, it was also the most predictable, and Kageyama had gotten good and breaking safes.</p><p>After working at it for a moment, he got it to pry open, revealing a red velvet box with a gold embellished crow on its lid. He opened it carefully, checking that the ring was still inside it before shoving it deep into his jacket pocket. He then shut the safe and the wardrobe doors before leaving the bedroom, and then the apartment all together.</p><p>Kageyama had to admit, he was a little bit thrilled. He’d always wanted his bait to work in a real life scenario, but he was shocked that it hadn’t gone as planned. Normally, Kageyama’s job was to bait the other mafia women into giving up useful information, similar to Asahi Azumane, his co-worker. </p><p>He’d use the ring and talk about how his non-existent girlfriend had recently broken up with him just before he was going to propose. The woman would pout and pity Kageyama, saying how oh-so-sorry she was that he had to go through such a thing. Kageyama would then offer to give her the ring, just to be rid of the reminder, and more often than not, the woman would agree. After all, the woman was just as greedy and disgusting as the rest of humanity, despite her facade. Kageyama would then give the woman the ring, track her down, and extort her and her cronies for information, money, or anything of other value to him.</p><p>Of course, this time was significantly more different than his expectations, as a seemingly unaffiliated man had taken it upon himself to take the bait without any prompt. It was curious, to say the least, but if nothing else, the boss would hopefully be proud of Kageyama for thinking of such a plan.</p><p>Outside the building, Kageyama hustled to the side alley where the car was awaiting him. He slipped in the back, where Daichi had strapped Hinata into the seat.</p><p>“Did you get it?” Daichi asked.</p><p>“I got it,” Kageyama confirmed, pulling the box out from his coat pocket.</p><p>“Was there anything else that showed affiliation?” The driver, Koushi Sugawara asked.</p><p>Kageyama shook his head in response. “Just moving boxes full of clothes and some old manga.”</p><p>Daichi clucked his tongue. “If he’s not affiliated with anyone, we’re gonna have to deal with him in another way,” he said as Sugawara pulled out of the alley. “If he doesn’t have intel we don’t have any use for him.”</p><p>Kageyama pondered this. If Hinata had nothing to offer the crows, what would they do with him? They couldn’t let him go, he would know too much. Is it possible they’d have to kill him? As far as Kageyama knew, they’d never killed a non-affiliated person before. It was sort of an unspoken law.</p><p>They sat in silence for the rest of the ride. Kageyama felt mildly uncomfortable sitting next to Hinata’s lifeless body. Hinata was drooling uncontrollably, his chin crunched between his chest. His hair was still wild and unruly, just as it had been on the bus with the added tangles from his bedhead. Kageyama bit back a smirk as he looked at Hinata’s bunny slippers. How immature.</p><p>Kageyama hadn’t been a part of this life long, but he hadn’t come across anyone like Hinata yet. Someone who managed to get themselves in trouble so easily, someone who had the guts to provoke a random stranger, someone who had the nerve to openly commit a crime. Kageyama usually dealt with people who were affiliated with one gang or another, but never had he ever dealt with a random person. It was strange, and it felt forbidden.</p><p>But again, Hinata had proven himself to be a strange case. Kageyama hadn’t truly noticed Hinata take the tracker, but he had clearly seen the mischievous gleam in his eye. It was only when Hinata had left the bus that he’d thought to check for the ring. When he realized it wasn’t there, he felt a strange sense of pride for both himself and the other man. Perhaps he let Hinata get away just because he was curious to see what would happen next. He silently prayed it wouldn’t be fatal.</p><p>Suga pulled into the crows’s driveway. Apparently it had been an old school back in the day, but the population outgrew the facilities, and it was left to rot, never repurposed. Ukai, the founder of the crows, had bought it just before it was to be demolished. It was now legally being used as a sports center for younger kids- apparently Ukai had been some kind of volleyball legend back in the day. </p><p>At night, however, it was where the crows did their business. It was their safe haven, of sorts. Kageyama liked to think of it like their secret base, it made him feel like a spy.</p><p>“I’ll get him out,” Kageyama huffed, reaching over to unbuckle the still unconscious Hinata out of his seat. </p><p>“Thank you, Kageyama,” Daichi said, getting out of the car alongside Suga. Kageyama watched as the two walked in the gym together, Daichi whispering something in Suga’s ear. Suga was Daichi’s right hand man, always there to deliberate, drive, and run errands for the group. In some twisted way, he was the housewife of the gang. Kageyama found it slightly endearing how much the group valued Suga, despite his lackluster participation in the more dangerous activity.</p><p>Daichi valued Suga too, though Kageyama suspected it was in a way that was different from the rest.</p><p>Kageyama slung one of Hinata’s arms around his shoulders. He choked out a laugh at how domestic the whole thing looked. He pulled Hinata towards the edge of the car, positioning him so that he could piggyback Hinata. Kageyama was tall, probably close to 5’11, but he certainly didn’t have Daichi’s brute strength to sling Hinata over a shoulder.</p><p>He carried Hinata in the gym carefully, not wanting to drop the fool straight on the pavement. He made sure the man’s head rested carefully on his shoulder so that the weight wouldn’t drag them both backwards. </p><p>When Kageyama got through the doors, he was met with a group of the crows, who appeared to be eagerly awaiting the arrival of their new prey.</p><p>“Why are you carrying him like he’s your wife,” Yuu Nishinoya giggled as he watched Kageyama carry Hinata over to the mats in the corner of the room.</p><p>“Because he’s fucking heavy as hell. You come here and carry him if you’re so concerned,” he snarled back.</p><p>“You’ve got the height advantage,” Noya purred, “I’ll let you handle it.”</p><p>And it was absolutely true. Nishinoya stood at a whopping 5’3 on a good day, but still, he was a wonderful street fighter.</p><p>“Where’d you find him?” Kei Tsukishima asked. </p><p>“The bus stop, I was on my way to a job,” Kageyama clarified. Sadly, it was true. Hinata had truly delayed one of Kageyama’s biggest plans yet.</p><p>“If you want, Daichi, I can handle an interrogation,” Tsukki offered, but to no avail. Daichi shook his head in response. </p><p>“I’ve got to handle this one. Kageyama, you’re going to do it with me. As well as Asahi.”</p><p>Asahi Azumane looked up from his journal with worried eyes.</p><p>“W-why me?” Asahi asked. “I’m no good with interrogations and all, you know that.”</p><p>“You won’t be doing the interrogating, don’t worry. You’re just gonna stand there and look tough, maybe scare this fool into spilling intel if he has any.”</p><p>Kageyama could sense Tsukki’s scowl spreading across his face. More often than not, Daichi was invalidating Tsukki’s ability to be the “tough guy.” On a normal day, maybe Kageyama would have poked a little fun at the guy, but today again proved to be the exception.</p><p>Tsukki was regarded highly by the crows for being incredible at interrogations, and he was becoming an incredible gambler. He had a way of thinking about things skillfully, and he had no regard for anyone else. His pride was his power, but also his weakness. In a moment like this, it was both.</p><p>“We shouldn’t do this here,” Kageyama said in reference to the gym. It seemed far too unprofessional and didn’t have the fear factor that was necessary to make the man potentially give up important info.</p><p>Daichi nodded. “Asahi, you carry him this time.”</p><p>“Hey, I can handle it just fine!” Kageyama scoffed. Truthfully, he was glad he wouldn’t have to carry the little twerp around anymore, no matter how much it bruised his ego.</p><p>Asahi picked the boy up and slung him over a broad shoulder, then followed Daichi and Kageyama out of the gym and into the clubhouse.</p><p>	The clubhouse was often where the younger kids would hang out when they weren’t actively participating in the training. There was one specific room that the kids were never allowed to go in; it was for “owner’s purposes only,” which loosely translated to Daichi and his crows.</p><p>Daichi unlocked the door to the room furthest back, holding the door open for the other two men to get through and into the dark room. Kageyama pulled a chair out from the closet and set it up in the center of the room facing the opposite direction. Asahi followed, sitting Hinata on the chair, arms tied behind the chair securing his position.</p><p>Kageyama took some thin rope, securing Hinata’s hands. He was exceptionally good at using his hands, which also made him popular with the little kids when they played volleyball. He then worked to tie Hinata’s ankles, and torso to the chair. Hinata’s head lolled back down to his chest. Kageyama watched the lifeless boy.</p><p>“How long until he wakes up?” He asked.</p><p>“Maybe 10 minutes, tops,” Daichi confirmed watching over him as well.</p><p>“What then?” Kageyama asked. “I mean, what if he has no affiliation?” The question had been bothering him all day, like having pins and needles in his brain.</p><p>Daichi seemed to ponder the question closely. This situation was unprecedented, no one had been unaffiliated before. They couldn’t afford to make a misstep here or they could all go down. They would have to deal with this carefully.</p><p>“We give him a choice,” Daichi said plainly. Asahi and Kageyama both stared at the man dumbfoundedly. </p><p>“Daichi-san, are you out of your mind?!” Asahi exclaimed. Not that Kageyama would burst out at Daichi, but if he could he wouldn’t have been so kind.</p><p>“With what conditions?” Kageyama asked, desperate for answers.</p><p>“He can either work with us, or we kill him.”</p><p>Kageyama let the words ring in his head. They echoed off each other as if his head was nothing more than an empty space. He couldn’t quite grasp the situation. The crows never killed, not unless directly threatened. But this was far more brusque than that, this felt like hunting for sport, not for necessity.</p><p>“C-can’t we just let him go?” Asahi whimpered. Despite the man’s terrifying build, he was squeamish about death. He was so philosophical and hated the idea that whoever he had been dealing with was in a place between Earth and nothingness.</p><p>“If we let him go we risk him opening his mouth to the police. Do you wanna spend the rest of your life in jail?” Daichi asked. Asahi quickly shut up, though his discomfort was still visible.</p><p>“We can’t just go around killing people either,” Kageyama piped in. He didn’t want Daichi on his bad side, but he felt off about the whole thing.</p><p>“We aren't  ‘just going around.’ He came to us, to you.”</p><p>The words stung Kageyama because simply put, it was the truth. Hinata had walked into his trap head-on. It was just a bad string of luck that put Hinata straight on the crows path.</p><p>“Remember, Kageyama, he’s the reason you couldn’t get to Oikawa.”</p><p>Kageyama’s moment of sympathy ceded in a flash. All of the drama surrounding Hinata was just one big distraction from his actual goal. Hinata had taken Kageyama away from the most important job he ever had to complete, for both his own pride, and the crows. </p><p>Kageyama felt the undeniable rage flood his body, that raw eager pain that came with thinking of Oikawa and all he’d done to him. The needless jealousy, the taunting, all of it stunted Kageyama in a way that he was never sure he’d be able to recover.</p><p>“You can’t deny that you want him gone, Kageyama,” Daichi purred.</p><p>Kageyama huffed noncommittally in response. He might not want Hinata around, but that didn’t mean he was going to condone murder. Still, he wasn’t going to not condone it either. Kageyama felt it best to leave it to Daichi and refocus himself on his path.</p><p>The three men watched Hinata as he slept, patiently waiting for the man to wake. The darkness of the clubroom made it nearly impossible for Kageyama not to curl up in a ball and just sleep. He was so exhausted today- the course of events emotionally exhausting him. It couldn’t have been any earlier than 5am at this point. He probably hadn’t slept any in perhaps 20? Maybe even 22 hours. </p><p>Kageyama sat down on the floor, legs outstretched, hands propping him up. He watched as Asahi leaned against the wall and as Daichi followed suit. He suddenly felt inferior on the floor, with the stronger two men still standing and even stupid Hinata sitting higher up than him. Still, the exhaustion made it hard to think. </p><p>Kageyama blinked heavily, feeling as though weights were taped to his eyelids. He pinched himself slightly, trying desperately to stay present. He let his eyes close for just a second longer, and then another second, and then another-</p><p>He jolted awake again, suddenly sparking with competition. I won’t let Hinata see me in a state of vulnerability, he thought. I’m going to outlast him. With that, Kageyama opened his eyes as widely as he could, staring straight into Hinata’s stupid little face. </p><p>It was then that Kageyama realized that Hinata wasn’t drooling anymore. Earlier he had been drooling over himself like a sick dog, but now he looked peaceful. Almost too peaceful. Almost, forcibly peaceful, as if he was-</p><p>Awake.</p><p>Kageyama caught a glimmer on the boy’s face. He worriedly rubbed his eyes, praying that the light was playing a trick on him. But no, it was still there, that tiny little speck.</p><p>That nearly incomprehensible sparkle of a mischievous eye, belonging to none other than the con, Shoyo Hinata.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter is dedicated to the return of Haikyuu today! I missed all of the characters so much and can't wait to see them in action again. </p><p>If you're liking the story so far, let me know! I'm open to criticism and comments if you have any :)</p><p>I plan on updating at least twice a week, so be on the lookout for more in a few days!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Good Cop, Bad Cop</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hinata had been awake for at least five minutes now, listening, observing, and trying to reassess his situation. Getting kidnapped wasn’t something he had anticipated, and his predicament was clearly more dangerous than he ever could have expected. If he handled this wrong, he ran the risk of losing his life. All in all, he wasn’t necessarily afraid of dying, but he didn’t want to go like this. This was much too out of his control, and wasn’t exactly prideful.</p><p>	He heard the man- Kageyama, was it? He heard Kageyama ask the question of what would happen to him should he not be of use, and another man had responded that Hinata would likely be killed. He could always lie and say he was part of a gang, but if the men wanted information, he’d have nothing to give. Besides, Hinata suspected that messing with these people wasn’t a smart move- it’s why he was tied to this chair in the first place.</p><p>	He’d played dead wonderfully, he thought. He woke up as Kageyama was tying his ankles to the chair. The ticklish sensation was enough to wake him from his state of paralysis. Lucky for Hinata, the drug had still rendered him motionless besides slow blinking, so he couldn’t react outwardly. As his body adjusted, he was able to listen to the men and eventually make spiteful eye contact with Kageyama. </p><p>	Though, he was slightly upset that he hadn’t pretended to sleep for longer. It was somewhat peaceful just to sit in the dark, bondage be damned.</p><p>	“He’s awake,” Kageyama exclaimed, jumping to his feet. He rushed to Hinata and pushed his head back off his chest so that he could see the room better.</p><p>	“I can lift my own head, you know,” Hinata retorted. </p><p>	“How long have you been up?,” one man asked.</p><p>	“I don’t know, maybe ten minutes.”</p><p>	“Daichi, you said he wouldn’t wake up for at least another ten minutes, I thought we had time,” Kayegama said.</p><p>	“I don’t know. That dosage should have been enough to keep a dog down for at least two and a half hours. Fuck, it was probably diluted. I’ll take it up with Suga.”</p><p>	“For the record, I don’t know and don’t really care what you gave me, but if you’re going to drug someone, you should at least make sure it works,” Hinata chuckled.</p><p>	Suddenly, a larger man came out of the shadows. For a man his size, Hinata was shocked that he hadn’t noticed him before. He looked like Daichi, but was at least four inches taller and considerably stronger looking. He lifted his hand, a small gun pointed directly at Hinata’s head. Hinata felt his eyes widen as his muscles tensed. This couldn’t be the end already, they hadn’t even gotten anything out of him yet.</p><p>	“You have a lot of nerve to mock us on our own turf,” the man grumbled. Hinata steeled himself for whatever would happen next. Screw him and his stupid temper, he was going to get himself killed if he didn’t shut the hell up. These people clearly weren’t amused.</p><p>	“You don’t do the talking here, chibi-chan,” Daichi said, walking closer to Hinata. Hinata could smell the cologne rolling off the man’s body, rich and thick.</p><p>	“What’s your story?” He asked, staring darkly into Hinata’s eyes. Hinata stared directly back, unsure of how to respond. He was painfully aware of the target on his head, and intrusive thoughts clouded his head, convincing him to consider just how painful it would be to take a shot between the eyes. He had to show that he wouldn’t be submissive.</p><p>	“How do you know my name?” Hinata asked just as bravely.</p><p>	“What did I just say about-”</p><p>	“Daichi,” Kageyama interrupted, “tell him.”</p><p>	Daichi glared at Kageyama, but Kageyama didn’t back down. Hinata was grateful for this. If he was going to be kidnapped and killed, he felt like he was at least owed an explanation for how.</p><p>	“It’s simple. You took the tracker out of Kageyama’s backpack just as he was on his way to a job. Not only was it important that we got the ring back, but it was important to find out what the motive was of the person that stole it. Once Kageyama realized that the ring was missing, it was quite easy for him to assume it was you. Though, we weren’t able to confirm that until we got to your apartment.”</p><p>	Hinata scoffed. “I get how you tracked my apartment, but how did you figure out my name?”</p><p>	“Your jacket on the bus,” Kageyama clarified. “It had your real name embroidered on it.”</p><p>	Hinata winced. Of fucking course. How stupid could he have been? He recalled the scene in full detail. He’d been wearing a jacket from his volleyball team back in Miyagi, name and jersey number embroidered on the front. He’d taken that very jacket off as he went to pick up his dropped items and the ring. “Why didn’t you say anything when I lied then?” He asked.</p><p>	“Because it was hilarious watching you get all high and mighty, dumbass.”</p><p>	Hinata frowned at this, but kept his mouth shut. It was his own fault after all, and he couldn’t exactly deny his own stupidity.</p><p>	“Now, Shoyo Hinata, what do you want with us?” Daichi asked. Hinata balked at the question.</p><p>	“I don’t know who you all are, I don’t want anything with you.”</p><p>	“Then why go after the tracker?” Kageyama asked.</p><p>	“I didn’t know it was a tracker. If I did, I would have been a little more stealth about it,” Hinata said. “I just felt it in your bag and took it.”</p><p>	“So you’re just a thief then?” The man with the gun grumbled.</p><p>	“No, I’m a con. There’s a difference.”</p><p>	“You didn’t con me, Hinata. You just stole from me. You’re a lowly thief, nothing more,” Kageyama hissed.</p><p>	“So what if I took your tracker? Huh? You got it back before I could sell it, what do you want with me?” Hinata pleaded. God, he was tired. He wondered if they’d offer him some more of the drug from before so he could catch some shut eye.</p><p>	“Who are you with? We know you aren’t rogue,” the man with the gun mumbled.</p><p>	“What do you mean? I’m alone, you even searched my apartment,” Hinata answered.</p><p>	“Who do you work with, dumbass? Is it Johsai? Nekoma?” Kageyama was beginning to get heated, Hinata could see it in his eyes.</p><p>	“What the hell are you talking about?” Hinata asked. At least he could say with absolute certainty he no longer had any idea what was happening here.</p><p>	“You’re affiliated. You have to be. So tell us, who are you with?” Daichi asked again.</p><p>	“Like… like a gang? Dude, I might be a lowly thief but I don’t do organized crime.”</p><p>	“Why should we believe you?” </p><p>	“I’m not saying you should,” Hinata retorted. He watched the man with the gun readjust his grip on the weapon. “But I have no reason to lie tied up in this chair with a gun to my head. There’s no way I’d lay my life on the line for people like you.”</p><p>	Kageyama’s face contorted. It was obvious to Hinata that he had no rebuttal to this logic.</p><p>	“So, I’ll ask again. What do you want with me?” Hinata asked. Daichi laughed lightly.</p><p>	“What we want is for you to learn a lesson.” Daichi grabbed Hinata’s chin, directing his head so they could look sharply into each other’s eyes. “You’re a liability. You need to be dealt with.”</p><p>	Hinata considered his options. With a gun to his head and his limbs tied to themselves, there wasn’t much Hinata could do in terms of blunt force. The three other men could easily restrain or kill him if they wanted to. There was no hope in terms of physical escape. All he had were his words.</p><p>	“So what are you going to do with me?” He asked. Even if this only stalled the men, it would buy him time to think of an escape plan.</p><p>	“Kageyama, would you like to tell him?” Daichi asked, looking away from Hinata’s eyes. Hinata let out a shuddering breath, the tension of the moment was really starting to affect him.</p><p>	“Hinata, you’ve got two options, and two options only,” Kageyama started. “Option one, you join us. You work with us until you’ve repaid us for all of the trouble you caused.” Hinata perked up at this slightly. This is too easy, too kind. There have to be conditions, he reasoned.</p><p>	“You’ll do whatever we ask of you. No matter how dangerous. You’ll have to adhere to all of our rules. You’ll be our pet until we say you’re free to leave. But if you so much as think about going to the cops or telling anyone what’s going on, we’ll know. And we’ll beat you to it.”</p><p>	“What do you mean by that?” Hinata asked.</p><p>	“What he means,” the man with the gun said, “is that we’ll frame you. We’ve done it before, and we’ll do it to you too. You won’t be able to take us down with you, and there won’t be a point in trying to.”</p><p>	“Right, because I’m sure if I work with you I won’t be able to get any evidence of your crimes,” Hinata jeered, looking into the dark eyes of the man with the gun. The man grumbled, and Hinata smirked slightly. In retaliation, Daichi jerked Hinata’s chin up to meet his eyes again.</p><p>	“Watch yourself,” he warned.</p><p>	“If, for any reason, you pose an immediate threat to us, we’ll kill you.” Hinata felt his heart stutter as Kageyama explained his fate. There was something beneath it, though, that went deeper than fear.</p><p>	Besides Hinata’s human fear of his own mortality, there was something much darker, something much more powerful. It made his toes curl and his pupils dilate. It made his stomach twist and his heartbeat pound in his ears. It wasn’t death that he craved, no.</p><p>	He craved the danger, uncertainty, and sadistic high of risking that the very mortality he feared for.</p><p>	“The second option is just that. There is no letting you free. We’ll just kill you,” Kageyama finished.  “So, which is it?”</p><p>	Hinata bit his lower lip. He was trying desperately not to burst out laughing. How inappropriate to laugh at a time like this, but he was beginning to find the whole exchange quite thrilling. His exhaustion was pushing him over the edge.</p><p>	“What if I want the third option?” He asked deliriously.</p><p>	“There is no third option, jackass,” Kageyama growled. Daichi once again shifted Hinata’s chin sharply.</p><p>	“What are you suggesting, Hinata?” Daichi asked.</p><p>	“I want in.”</p><p>	Kageyama and the man with the gun looked to Daichi uncertainly. There was no way this had just been proposed to them, right? Honestly, it was beyond what any of them could have imagined being the outcome of this.</p><p>	“E-excuse me?” Daichi stammered. </p><p>	“I want in. Whatever you all are doing here, I want in.”</p><p>	“You just said you don’t do organized crime. Besides, you don’t even know what we do here,” Kageyama said, a slight flush filling his face. God, he was so easy to read. All you had to do was catch the man slightly off guard and next thing you know every emotion, every thought is exposed.</p><p>	“I meant I’ve never done organized crime before, I never said I wasn’t willing to start now. Besides, I get the gist. I’m guessing you mostly handle drugs.”</p><p>	“Sure we do that, but you don’t know the half of it. You don’t know what you’d be getting yourself into. When you pledge your alliance to us, that isn’t something we take lightly. You’d belong to us. Everything you do would be for us. Not you,” Daichi explained.</p><p>	“Look, you wanted me to repay you for your time or whatever the hell anyway, right? Let me in. I’ll repay you and more. I. Want. In,” Hinata exclaimed. He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. God, he was truly setting himself up for a wild ride.</p><p>	Kageyama glanced at Daichi, but Daichi kept his eyes firmly on Hinata. He appeared to be searching for something in them, but Hinata could feel nothing but the raw persistence in his own stare. He willed the other man to see the sincerity in his declaration. He willed the man to understand how much he suddenly wanted this. No matter what it meant for him.</p><p>	“Asahi, give me the gun,” Daichi commanded, eyes still locked onto Hinata’s. “You and Kageyama untie him.”</p><p>	“Ugh, thank god, you should know I’m not really into bondage all that much,” Hinata teased. To his surprise, he heard Daichi’s sultry laugh escape him.</p><p>	“What the fuck is wrong with you?” He asked in between laughs.</p><p>	Hinata seriously considered the question. What was wrong with him? Why was he acting this way? Why had he ever acted this way?</p><p>	Hinata stretched himself out as two of the men worked to release him from his constraints. His muscles were greatly fatigued and he couldn’t help but let out a yawn.</p><p>	“Am I- er, are we making money off of this?” Hinata asked carefully. After all, money had always been the end goal for Hinata. The men undeniably had money, they were all dressed as though they’d just gotten home from an office job. Hinata felt lame compared to them in his scrappy pijamas. A sudden wave of regret crashed over Hinata, sobering him from his high. He totally should have considered this sooner.</p><p>	“Look, kid-”</p><p>	“I’m 22 years old, asshole,” Hinata interrupted. He noticed Kageyama rolling his eyes as he backed away from Hinata with the rope.</p><p>	“You’ll get paid if I find you worthy of being paid,” Daichi confirmed.</p><p>	Hinata’s resolve quickly formed itself. This situation, no matter what it was, Hinata was going to make the best of it. He knew that tomorrow morning would be his own personal hell, and that the rest of his life may or may not have just been sent down the drain. He understood the consequences of committing to committing crime, and he knew that if he ever got caught, there would be nothing left for him in this world.</p><p>	But he also knew the rush he got, and the intensity of his heartbeat just being in the room with the other men. Hinata wondered how many more there were? He wondered what jobs they did. What other gangs they interacted with. What kind of money they were bringing in.</p><p>	And then he decided.</p><p> I’m going to be the best con man this world has ever fucking seen.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Sun and Moon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was something about the orange-haired man that was entirely off-putting. Kageyama couldn’t quite put his finger on what exactly it was, but he knew it was there. In a situation that would paralyze any normal person, Hinata had still found the energy to direct the tension right back to the crows. He had seen it in Asahi’s hesitation, in Daichi’s inability to cover up his emotions, in his own submissiveness. Something about Hinata was unhinged, and Kageyama was determined to wrestle the man’s temper down.</p><p>	He watched carefully as Hinata stretched out his suppressed limbs, trying to gauge whether or not Hinata would suddenly combust or something. To his surprise, Hinata didn't even stand up out of the chair. It suddenly became apparent that Hinata wasn’t acting irrationally, rather, he was acting deliberately. He was pushing the right buttons at the right time, and was carefully planning his movements to elicit a specific reaction from the crows.</p><p>	It was somewhat more terrifying than what he had expected.</p><p>	“So… what now?” Asahi whispered to Daichi. Kageyama could see Daichi ponder this question. It was clear that he hadn’t predicted this outcome either, and probably wouldn’t make any certain moves until he had spoken with Suga. Daichi never wasted time, but he couldn’t be too hasty.</p><p>	“We leave him here until morning. You can stay with him, or you can make someone else do it,” Daichi said.</p><p>	“I’ll stay with him,” Kageyama said, even catching himself off guard. Hinata giggled, still sitting on the folding chair.</p><p>	“Aw, Kageyama, I wanna stay with you too!” </p><p>	“Shut up, dumbass,” Kageyama jeered, despite the rising heat on his face. Why was Hinata able to get such a reaction out of him?</p><p>	“Kageyama, are you okay with that?” Daichi asked.</p><p>	“I’ve already spent the most time with him. We shouldn’t let him try and get information out of anyone else. It should go through one of us three for the time being,” Kageyama reasoned.</p><p>	“I agree with Kageyama,” Asahi confirmed. For being the most brute looking of the crows, Asahi was a real softie. He wasn’t all that much enthralled with being used as the “confrontation guy” and would gladly pass off the responsibility elsewhere.  Daichi shrugged in response. </p><p>	“Then it’s settled. Now, give me your phone,” Daichi said, holding his hand out towards Kageyama.”</p><p>	“W-why my phone?” Kageyama asked, reaching into his pocket.</p><p>	“I don’t want chibi-chan getting his hands on anything that could help him get out or find information.”</p><p>	“Hey!” Hinata exclaimed, “I don’t want out, I want in! God, I thought I made that clear by now.”</p><p>	“It’s a precaution, don’t get your panties in a twist,” Kageyama sneered, handing his cell over to Daichi. Hinata stuck his tongue out in retaliation, a completely juvenile response.</p><p>	“Don’t kill him, Kags,” Asahi begged, placing a hand on his shoulder and he handed the gun off to Kageyama. Kageyama blanched; he’d never had to use a gun before besides his training. He prayed Hinata wouldn’t act out; he wasn’t sure he’d be able to actually use the weapon on him.</p><p>	“I’ll be back with Suga in the morning. Neither of you are to leave this room until then,” Daichi said, mostly directing it to Kageyama, who nodded in response.</p><p>	Asahi and Daichi then left the room, locking the door securely behind them. The sudden darkness of the room was blinding, and the silence was deafening. Kageyama felt his heart rate pick up despite himself, praying that Hinata wasn’t already plotting against him.</p><p>	“Can I get off this chair now or what?” Hinata asked, already standing up off the chair.</p><p>	“I don’t care,” Kageyama responded. Hinata’s bright orange hair was drawing his eyes in like a moth to a lantern. He felt stupid staring at Hinata, who was unafraid to stare back at him. Kageyama resolved that from now on he wouldn’t stare at Hinata, he wouldn’t let himself be so flustered. He stared intently at the door, but found it quite troublesome to keep his gaze there. Avoiding Hinata was like avoiding the sun. He sauntered over to the wall that Asahi had previously been leaning on and slid down it to meet the floor.</p><p>	“Are you going to sleep?” Hinata asked, going and sitting against the wall next to Kageyama’s. </p><p>	Kageyama broke his stare at the door to glare at Hinata. “No, dumbass, that’d defeat the point of watching you.”</p><p>	“Aw, come on, you don’t have to make it sound like you’re babysitting me! This is more like…” Hinata pondered for a moment. Kageyama basked in the silence.</p><p>	“This is like a sleepover!” Hinata exclaimed. Kageyama nearly choked on air, looking at Hinata’s sunny face as he said it.</p><p>	“We’re not twelve, Hinata. We’re not friends either,” Kageyama grunted. He didn’t want Hinata to get the wrong idea. Kageyama didn’t want to be friends with him, or anything close to it. This was merely his job.</p><p>	“What, you don’t have sleepovers anymore? Are those too childish for you?” Hinata pushed.</p><p>	“I have a life, you know. I don’t have time for sleepovers.”</p><p>	“Oh… I get it,” Hinata said. “You’ve never had a sleepover because you’ve never had any friends!” Hinata bursted out laughing at his own joke, startling Kageyama just as much as offending him.</p><p>	“I’ve had friends, asshole, and I’ve had sleepovers with them too. I just don’t want to have one with YOU,” he said, physically restraining himself from beating the ever living shit out of Hinata.</p><p>	“I’m not that bad, Kageyama, I promise! Besides, you’ll probably start seeing a lot more of me if I end up sticking around.”</p><p>	Hinata started to pick at his fingers in boredom, and Kageyama resolved to stare at the door until Hinata had fallen asleep. He dared not speak a word in retaliation out of fear that he would rile Hinata up again. He silently prayed that it wouldn’t take long or he’d fall asleep himself.</p><p>	Kageyama allowed his mind to wander about Hinata’s snarky comment about friendship. He hadn’t lied to Hinata; there was a time when Kageyama had had friends. When he was younger, Kageyama had been surrounded by friends. Surrounded by people who supposedly had his back.</p><p>	It wasn’t that Kageyama didn’t want friends, it was that he didn’t trust them. He didn’t trust anyone enough to put his faith into them. He didn’t want to rely on others to protect him, to care for him, to stand by him. He felt as though he could perfectly well do it on his own. After learning the hard way, after all, he felt as though it wasn’t worth the trouble and the consequences to try again.</p><p>	Kageyama felt his eyelids getting heavy, and keeping them open became a strife. He felt as though he was watching his body from outside himself, as though he was weightless and weighted all at once. He felt his blinking getting longer, and longer, and longer....</p><p>	No, he thought to himself. You can’t drift off. You gotta watch out for Hinata. He forced his eyes open, blinking rapidly and pinching his leg. The efforts didn’t accomplish much; he still felt heavy and fatigued. Kageyama looked over to Hinata. The smaller man was sitting with his knees pulled to his chest, arms wrapping them closer to him. Hinata’s head rested carefully on his knees, but his eyes weren’t closed. He was staring intently at Kageyama.</p><p>	“What are you looking at?” Kageyama asked rudely.</p><p>	“There’s something wrong.”</p><p>	Kageyama startled slightly at the comment. He felt his fighting instincts kick in despite his fatigue. His hand absentmindedly reached for the gun. “What do you mean?” he asked as calmly as he could.</p><p>	“You seem… I don’t know. I guess you just seem off,” Hinata said worriedly. Kageyama scoffed at him.</p><p>	“You don’t know what I’m like normally, what makes you think I’m ‘off?’” </p><p>	Hinata shrugged lazily. Kageyama could tell he was getting tired. “You strike me as the type to be tough. Emotionally calloused, if you will,” Hinata said with a chuckle. “But right now you seem a little wounded. Almost like a lost dog. Like you’re slowly having no choice but to let that guard down.”</p><p>	Kageyama felt heat rising to his face yet again. How was Hinata able to read him so easily? Was it really that obvious that he’d been thinking about his past?</p><p>	“How do you do that?” Kageyama asked suddenly. </p><p>	“Do what?” Hinata asked, shifting his head so he could look more directly at Kageyama.</p><p>	“How do you know exactly when to say things? How are you so good at reading people?”</p><p>	Hinata shrugged again. “I don’t know, really. I just like people watching.”</p><p>	“You and me must be nothing alike then,” Kageyama said cynically. “I don’t particularly care for people.”</p><p>	“Me neither!” Hinata exclaimed sitting up from his ball of comfort. The sudden movement made Kageyama jolt, and he felt his hand strengthen around  the gun Asahi had left him. Hinata moved closer to Kageyama, not quite off the wall but leaning towards Kageyama ever so slightly.</p><p>	“I mean, I don’t like people a whole lot. They’re sloppy, and self-absorbed, and unpredictable,” Hinata clarified.</p><p>	“You do realize you just described yourself, right?” Kageyama said snarkily.</p><p>	“Dumbass, you didn’t let me finish!” Hinata yelled, flicking Kageyama’s knee. Kageyama scowled at the contact, unsure what to make of it. </p><p>	“What I mean is that most people aren’t great. But after watching enough people, it’s easy to tell who is and who isn’t all of those yucky things. And I know I haven’t known you long, but I don’t think you’re one of those people, Kageyama. I think you pretend to be to get people off your back.”</p><p>	Kageyama felt heat steadily burning his face. Kageyama hated hearing the truth, but he knew that’s what it was. He knew he put on a mask each day, he knew that he hadn’t always been this way. But he also knew that just because someone had seen through it didn’t mean he was going to throw it away. He knew that this mask was for the sake of his own survival. He simply had to fortify it, make it stronger. He had to be tougher than that.</p><p>	“What if I am one of those people, huh? What if you’re wrong about me?” Kageyama asked, with as much bitterness as he could muster.</p><p>	“That’s not a concern of mine. I can tell what you’re thinking right now, even.”</p><p>	“Oh yeah? What’s that?”</p><p>	Hinata leaned in closer to Kageyama, who’s eyes widened and heart stopped. What in the absolute hell was Hinata doing?</p><p>	“You’ve got worry in your eyes.”</p><p>	Kageyama stared into Hinata’s golden eyes. He tried to prove Hinata wrong, willing his steely gaze to yet again take form. Hinata stared intently back, undoing something deep in Kageyama. Hinata was so earnest, so determined, it was threatening to Kageyama.</p><p>	“You honestly think you have me all figured out, don’t you?” Kageyama sneered, peeling his eyes away from Hinata’s. Kageyama silently thanked the darkness, this way Hinata wasn’t able to see the heat on his face.</p><p>	“No, not even close,” Hinata responded. Kageyama could still feel the intense stare, willing his eyes back to Hinata’s. “I have no idea who you really are. But I know that you’re trying extra hard to hide that part of you, and that’s what I want to know,” Hinata said innocently.</p><p>	Hinata backed away from Kageyama, curling himself into a ball yet again. Kageyama felt himself let out a breath, one he hadn’t been aware he was holding. The pressure Hinata put on him was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. It was comparable to desperately lying to your parents, but there was a twinge of something extra. </p><p>	Kageyama’s exhaustion was catching up with him, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. God, if only he had a phone he could check the time. </p><p>	He stood up off his wall, stretching out his back while doing so. He peered down to where Hinata was still curled in a ball. He couldn’t quite tell if Hinata was asleep, but judging by the man’s lack of reaction to the sudden movement, he was either asleep or much too close to it to be bothered. Kageyama walked to the door. Curiously, he jiggled the handle, but not to his surprise did it remain firmly locked. He sighed, but turned to the window beside it. The windows were always locked, and though he was becoming desperate for some fresh air, he knew for precautionary reasons it would be frowned upon. </p><p>	He peeked carefully through a blind, trying to gauge the position of the moon to the time. There was barely a sliver left to it, in the very last days of its waning crescent stage. Kageyama’s sister had always been a major astronomy nerd growing up. He knew that with the New Moon would come a new cycle, new beginnings, and traditionally, a time to start anew.</p><p>	Kageyama’s sister had always compared him to the moon. Always moody, always changing, somewhat elusive. Whenever he thought of the moon, he always thought of her and her praises. Shit, he really missed his sister. </p><p>	The moon was almost horizontally aligned to Kageyama’s eye. He reasoned it must have been 5am at this point. He hadn’t slept in nearly 24 full hours. God, just the idea of that fueled his exhaustion further.</p><p>	Fuck, why didn’t Daichi tell him exactly what time he’d return?</p><p>	Kageyama turned to look at Hinata again.  If Kageyama was the moon, then Hinata was the sun and all of the fucking stars.</p><p>	And not in some romantic, quirky way either, no, Hinata literally lit up the room just by being there. Quite literally, his hair seemed to glow in the dark, contrasting all of the bleakness of the room. And his eyes, god, his eyes. When Kageyama had looked into Hinata's eyes, it almost pained him, as it truly felt like staring into the sun.</p><p>	Kageyama leaned down on his heels, craning his neck so that he could see if Hinata’s eyes were open. He was just as much yearning for their warmth as he was afraid of it. It scared Kageyama, and he didn’t quite understand what it was about that boy that kept him so entranced. They hadn’t even known each other for longer than twelve hours, but it had felt like a lifetime.</p><p>	Kageyama planted himself firmly on the ground between the wall again. He continued to stare at the younger man, wondering what it was about him that was so addictive. Was it the brutal honesty? Was it the all-knowing words he spoke? Was it the unhinged look in his eyes when he spoke of something he cared intensely about? </p><p>	Hinata was able to be so vulnerable while still being so tough. Kageyama couldn’t help but be jealous of such duality.</p><p>	Suddenly, Hinata’s eyes popped open without any warning at all.</p><p>	“Caught you staring,” the boy teased. Kageyama’s eyes widened for just a moment before he willed them to glare right back into Hinata’s sunny ones.</p><p>	“I wasn’t staring, dumbass. I was keeping an eye on you, like I was told to.”</p><p>	“Sounds like staring to me,” Hinata said, leaning out of his personal embrace and resting his head against the wall.</p><p>	“God, won’t you just go to sleep already?”</p><p>	“That’d be a pretty boring sleepover, now wouldn’t it?’</p><p>	“I’ve caught you fake sleeping twice tonight, Hinata. And what did I say about this not being a sleepover?”</p><p>	“Hey, to be fair, I had to make sure you all weren’t gonna kill me the first time!”</p><p>	“No one was actually going to kill you, Hinata,” Kageyama said exasperatedly.</p><p>	“Damn, you just took all of the magic out of the moment!” Hinata complained. It was evident to Kageyama that there wasn’t a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He truly meant it, he truly enjoyed the danger he was presented with.</p><p>	“I’m sorry, would you have rather actually been killed?”</p><p>	“No, not at all, I’m just saying, I thought you all were more tough than that. Aren’t gangs supposed to be all tough like that?” Hinata questioned.</p><p>	Kageyama felt his heart begin to pound in his chest. Was Hinata suggesting that they shouldn’t have any regard to human life? That they should recklessly and irrationally danger whoever crosses their path?</p><p>	“Not all gangs are like that. We’re not like that. I’m not like that,” Kageyama said stoically.</p><p>	“Why not?” Hinata asked, leaning forward towards Kageyama again. “What if you’re in danger? What if something goes wrong?”</p><p>	“Lethal force is the last thing I ever want to use on a person.”</p><p>	“But why?” Hinata begged.</p><p>	“Because it’s never my place to decide who is worthy of life. You never know why someone does something, you never know what they’ve got to deal with,” Kageyama exclaimed, instantly reddening from his outburst. Fuck you, Shoyo Hinata, Kageyama thought to himself. Fuck you for making me so emotional.</p><p>	“There’s that break again,” Hinata said, smiling innocently at Kageyama. “The break in your mask.” </p><p>	Kageyama scoffed darkly. He knew it was futile, at this point. He was much too exhausted and Hinata was much too honed into his emotional state. He couldn’t fight it anymore.</p><p>	“Go to sleep, Hinata. You’re going to have a long day tomorrow.”</p><p>	“Ah, okay, fine,” Hinata whined, content with making Kageyama back down and curling up into his own embrace again. Kageyama waited silently for the slowing pace of Hinata’s breaths. As the silence became more apparent, Kageyama allowed himself to look.</p><p>	But of course, Kageyama stared, despite himself, watching as the sun fell into a deep and undisturbed sleep. One that wasn’t fake, that wasn’t manufactured. One that was inspired by the raw exhaustion of the day. Kageyama looked on jealously, silently wishing that Hinata got all of the rest he could muster.</p><p>	He didn’t know for sure what was in store for Hinata tomorrow, and he had a feeling he was far more nervous than Hinata himself. Kageyama took a deep breath, settled his head against the wall, and watched as the moon descended out of the sky, and shone on the sun before him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter y'all... I wasn't planning to write this at all to be honest, but I couldn't pass up an opportunity for some forcible KageHina bonding!! I hope you're looking forward to the progression of their relationship as much as I am. As always, please leave comments if you have any, I love seeing your feedback. Thank you always for reading :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Go-Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Daichi Sawamura was completely dumbfounded. For all of the planning and strategizing he did, he hadn’t thought to anticipate something like this.</p><p>	But what sane person would? Who in their right mind would honestly decide that joining their kidnappers, no matter the motive, was a good idea? Apparently Shoyo Hinata did, and it was driving Daichi insane. Standing in front of the man, he felt the intensity of the moment wash over him like a cold wave. He was intrigued just as much as he was apprehensive. He had no idea how to plan moving forward.</p><p>	He watched his men untie Hinata, who remained seated on the chair, making no efforts to fight back or retaliate. Hinata trusted the men more than the men trusted him, but the mutual respect between them was something so unprecedented and absurd that it almost made Daichi laugh.</p><p>	As Asahi and Kageyama finished and backed away from the man, they exchanged some final dialogue, explaining how he and Asahi would collect the other two men in the morning.</p><p>He spared one last look at the orange-haired man before turning and leaving Kageyama and him in the club room. Locking the door behind him, Daichi and Asahi Azumane took off towards the gymnasium again. The night was cold and bleak, biting at Daichi’s neck. He sensed Asahi shudder slightly beside him, wrapping his arms closer around his chest.</p><p>	“What’s up with that guy?’ Asahi asked amusedly.</p><p>	“I wish I could say for sure,” Daichi chuckled, “he seems almost worse than Tanaka or Noya.”</p><p>	“No kidding. If I thought those two were off the rails before, they might as well be holy children of God, now,” Asahi giggled. “Do you have any idea what you’re gonna do with him?”</p><p>	Daichi sighed. For the first time in a long time, he wasn’t entirely sure what he would do in this situation. Hinata was adamant on joining, that much was certain. But the question was why? Why was Hinata so determined to join them? There almost had to be some sort of conspiracy with him. It was still possible that he really was affiliated somewhere. How would they be able to figure it out?</p><p>	“I think we’re gonna have to test him,” Daichi said after a moment.</p><p>	“How so?” Asahi asked.</p><p>	“I’ll talk to Suga about this, but I’m thinking we’re gonna have to get him to somehow prove his loyalty. Somehow, he’s going to need to show us that he’s serious about this.”</p><p>	Once they’d arrived at the gym, Daichi knocked three times on the door, two times rapidly, once slowly.</p><p>	Knockknock….. Knock.</p><p>	The door opened moments later, Ennoshita smiling warmly at the pair. “How goes it, gentlemen?” he asked, holding the door as Daichi and Asahi made their way in.</p><p>	“It’s going, all right,” Daichi huffed as the door shut behind him. </p><p>	“Don’t tell me you ended up having to… you know…” Ennoshita asked, carefully avoiding the ‘K’ word.</p><p>	“No, no, it’s not that,” Daichi reassured. “The little bastard actually asked that we let him join! Can you believe that? Ha!”</p><p>	“W-what, you’re messing with me right?” Ennoshita stammered. Ennoshita had been with the crows for a few years, and he knew as well as most of them that something like this just wasn’t something that happened.</p><p>	“He’s not messing with you,” Asahi confirmed. “He’s in the club room with Kageyama now. We’ve only got the next 4 hours or so to decide what to do about it.”</p><p>	“Speaking of which, can you both make sure that everyone is wrangled in here?” Daichi asked. “No one is leaving tonight. We’re going to have a long day tomorrow, regardless of what  happens with chibi-chan.”</p><p>	“You got it, boss,” Ennoshita said, already turning to leave the gym.</p><p>	“I’ll go with him if you’d rather be with Sugawara on your own,” Asahi offered, to which Daichi nodded appreciatively. He most certainly did want his alone time with Suga.</p><p>	“Thank you, Asahi.”</p><p>	Asahi followed Ennoshita out of the gym, leaving Daichi to himself. He hated being in there by himself; he always felt like there were shadowed people watching over him. He swore he heard echos that weren't there. It made him feel like bugs were crawling all over his skin, uncomfortable and parasitic.</p><p>	He went into the equipment closet, taking the stairs in the back to the top floor of the gym. At the top of the stairs was a door built into the wall, leading not to the balcony but to a room that was above the stage. Daichi unlocked the room, slipping in and relocking it behind him.</p><p>The room was dark, as always. It had been used as a room for stage crews back in the day that this had been a school. It was cluttered, and dusty, but Suga and Daichi liked to use it for privacy. None of the other crows knew what lay in the room; only Suga and Daichi had the keys to access it. They were well into the process of remodeling it to look more professional, but as of now, it was still a haphazardly mess.</p><p>Despite it’s unappealing aesthetic, it made Daichi feel as though he’d just come home after a long day. Quite honestly, tonight it was just that. This room, this gray-haired man before him, it was his home.	</p><p>	“Hi, Daichi,” Suga purred, walking up behind him to wrap his arms around Daichi’s waist. Daichi sunk into Suga’s touch, warm, tender, and caring. There wasn’t anything in the world that a hug from Suga couldn’t fix.</p><p>	“Hello, Sugawara,” Daichi said, swiveling in Suga’s arms and planting a kiss at the top of his forehead. </p><p>	“How did things go?” Suga asked, leaving Daichi to move about the room. Daichi often paced when he thought out loud, and Suga knew it was best to give him his space. Daichi was eternally grateful for the way Suga knew and respected his boundaries. God, he really loved this man.<br/>	“You wouldn’t believe it, Suga. Hinata is unlike anything I expected him to be.”</p><p>	“How so?”</p><p>	“God, where do I start?” Daichi recounted the insanity that had been the interrogation. He paced back and forth across his office, hands waving widely, eyes expressive. Suga watched him pace patiently, committing Daichi’s story to memory. He would analyze it later.</p><p>	“Good god, Daichi,” Suga exclaimed after Daichi’s retelling had ended. His face was contorted with concern. “Do you know what you want to do?”</p><p>	“I’m not sure,” Daichi admitted. There was nothing he hated more than being at a loss, much less admitting it, which didn’t happen often. “I think we need to see how far he’s willing to go for us.”</p><p>	“You’re not going to put his life on the line, are you?” Suga frowned. Daichi had known Sugawara for years, and he knew better than most just how uncomfortable Suga was with putting innocent lives on the line. Daichi often did everything in his power to restrain from using force, only to appease Suga. Admittedly, Daichi found force to be the best way to handle a conflict, especially in the gang, but he would never do it if Suga told him not to. Suga always came first.</p><p>	“No, I’m not. I don’t think Hinata has that kind of fear, and I don’t think he’d be able to handle himself in the situation. What’s scary isn’t that he can’t handle it, though, it’s scary because he wants to. He craves that danger, that risk. That’s why he’s here.”</p><p>	“Are you gonna send him for field work?”</p><p>	“Absolutely not,” Daichi scowled. “We need to establish a strong reputation, and sending some kid from the street isn’t going to help us get there.” Daichi had more field work experience than most of the crows. Communicating with sketchy people wasn’t an easy thing to do, reputation aside. It was like walking into a giant bear trap face first and expecting to come out unscathed. The crows weren’t at that point yet, but they were close.</p><p>	“I have an idea, though it might sound incredibly stupid,” Suga warned.</p><p>	“Tell me anything Suga,” Daichi said, walking up to where Suga was sitting on the desk and placing his hands on the man’s waist.</p><p>	“If we can’t send him out yet, and need control of the situation, what better place to run a dangerous simulation than right here?,” Suga offered.</p><p>	Daichi considered this closely. In which case Hinata was not an infiltrator, he would have no idea how to handle a real dangerous situation. In a perfect world, he never would have had contact with anyone who was affiliated, especially in the crows. It could possibly reveal the man’s potential. Worst case scenario, though, one of the crows would recognize him to be an infiltrator. They would have no choice but to extort the man and then take care of him, regardless of Suga’s pleas. Hinata would have won, despite his own death, and the crows would be screwed out of whatever they had given up to him.</p><p>	The outcomes weighed heavily in Daichi’s head, but his hands on Suga’s waist grounded him back to the real world. The real world where his heart was beating, his feet planted on the ground, and he was in control. Daichi Sawamura was in control, and he would remain in control until he died.</p><p>	Suga must have sensed Daichi’s discomfort, as he pulled the larger man to his chest, wrapping one arm sweetly around his neck and then running his fingers through Daichi’s hair. Daichi responded gratefully, leaning into Suga’s chest and planting a kiss, breathing in the man’s scent and feeling his heartbeat on his cheek. They stayed like that for a moment longer, taking in each other.</p><p>	Suga was Daichi’s home, no doubt about it.</p><p>	“This is why I need you, Suga,” Daichi praised, the gray-haired man beaming back up at him.</p><p>	“You think it’ll work?” Suga asked.</p><p>	“I think we need to plan this out incredibly carefully, and it may just be the most absurd thing we’ve ever had to do,” Daichi chuckled. “But yes, darling, I think this just might work, and it just might be the greatest show we’ve ever put on.”</p><p> </p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>	That night, Suga and Daichi relayed their plan to the crows. Daichi had come to the conclusion that the best way to test Hinata’s limits was to put him in a situation where somehow, there was the risk of a fatality. Hinata had proven himself to be composed under pressure, but he was also somewhat familiar with his worth in the situation. In this manufactured scenario, Hinata would be completely useless, and his life wouldn’t be regarded so kindly, or so Hinata would think.</p><p>	Whether or not Hinata will crack under the pressure is beyond prediction, though many of the crows have placed their bets.</p><p>	“I bet twenty dollars that he goes completely apeshit,” Nishinoya said jabbing Asahi in the side.</p><p>	“Oh yeah? I bet thirty that he cries!” Ryuunosuke Tanaka exclaimed.</p><p>	“I’m willing to bet forty he’s an infiltrator,” Tsukishima groaned. Leave it to Tsukki to be the pessimist of the bunch. Clinging to his side was Tadashi Yamaguchi, who nodded firmly in agreement.</p><p>	“It’s all just so sketchy!” Yamaguchi cried, looking to Tsukki for encouragement. Yamaguchi was similar to Asahi. He was insecure and emotional, especially around the crows, but he truthfully was just a jackass with social anxiety. He and Suga were extremely well-trained in gambling and negotiations, and their warm-hearted exteriors perpetuated the idea of their innocence and confusion.</p><p>	Daichi watched as his crows mingled together as the peak of the sun rose into the sky. These were his people, and he owed them his life as much as they owed theirs to him.</p><p>	“When are you going to get them?” Suga asked, sliding up next to Daichi.</p><p>	“I’ll get them at 8am. I don’t want Hinata to be delirious when he’s tested. This way he should be able to get at least 4 hours of sleep. Kageyama won’t bother him,” Daichi reasoned.</p><p>	“What if he’s bothering Kageyama?”</p><p>	“Then Hinata will suffer the consequences of his own exhaustion.” </p><p>	Daichi ran over the plan yet again in his head. He and Asahi would retrieve Kageyama and Hinata from the club room at 8am exactly. The group would go to the gym to meet some of the crows, making Hinata already feel welcome. As Hinata was adjusting, a few designated members would storm the gym, acting as though they were from a rival organization. They would take Hinata and the others, blindfold them and hold them at gunpoint in a car. The guns wouldn’t be loaded for safety purposes, but that wasn’t for Hinata to know. After driving a few laps, the actors would take the crows backstage in the gym. The change of scenery would lead Hinata to believe that they’d truly been kidnapped.</p><p>	Poor Hinata, kidnapped twice in one day, and by the same people no less. If he hadn’t learned his lesson after this, he was truly a lost cause.</p><p>	Daichi looked at Suga, who was smiling upon the rambunctious crows. Daichi loved Sugawara with everything in him, and his heart flooded with joy every time he saw that sweet smile whisper across Suga’s face. He was so proud of Suga for conducting the plan, and so proud that they were going to execute it together. This was theirs, and Daichi held that close to his heart.</p><p>	“Daichi!” Tanaka called, scrambling out of Noya’s grip to run over to him. “Do you think Hinata’s going to be scared of me?” He asked, standing tall and proud with his chest puffed out.</p><p>	“I wouldn’t be,” Daichi responded smugly, earning giggles from Noya and Sugawara. </p><p>	“Jackass!” Tanaka exclaimed.</p><p>	“If you do your job convincingly, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be afraid.”</p><p>“He wasn’t afraid of you all,” Noya chuckled condescendingly.</p><p>Daichi sneered darkly at the teasing man. He knew that Noya didn’t mean harm, and was most likely more afraid than he’d be willing to admit. </p><p>“We didn’t use any brute physical tactics to threaten him,” Daichi explained.</p><p>“That’s not counting the gun to his head, right?” Asahi asked hesitantly.</p><p>“Yes. Not counting the gun.”</p><p>Tanaka and Noya cackled to each other, repeating Daichi’s quote as they went to bother Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. Before they could quite make it, however, they stopped in their tracks, completely dumbfounded by the beauty that stood before them.</p><p>The crows’s pride and joy, Kiyoko Shimizu. She drew the attention of all of the men, who revered her with all of their hearts. She was a raven goddess, with flowing black hair and piercing eyes. She carried herself elegantly, as if she knew how they thought of her as their queen. She was respected not only for her beauty, but for her mind. She was calculating, unforgiving, and quite good at getting what she wanted. She was kind to those that she loved, but cold-hearted and snake-like to those she didn’t. As the first woman to join the crows, she was a priceless member of the team.</p><p>And of course, she was physically dreamy, and Tanaka and Nishinoya made her perfectly aware that they thought that.</p><p>“K-kiyoko-san!!” They exclaimed in unison, as they usually did. “You look beautiful today!” They cried, knees wobbling as they tried to remain powerful in her eyes.</p><p>“Thank you, boys,” she said calmly, moving towards Daichi and Suga. Tanaka and Noya whimpered to each other as she turned and walked away, clearly pleased with the fact that she acknowledged them at all.</p><p>“Kiyoko, how are you?” Suga said, reaching for her hand, planting a swift kiss on her knuckles. Though Daichi knew that it was simply formality, he felt himself heat up with jealousy. He desperately wished it was his hand, not hers, that Suga had kissed just then.</p><p>“I’m well, just nervous to see how this plays out,” she admitted coyly. Daichi looked at his watch. 7:45am, ten minutes from go-time.</p><p>“Do we have everything prepared for set-up?” Daichi asked her. Kiyoko was wonderful with wrestling the crows to be efficient, especially when Daichi wasn’t around.</p><p>“Yes, we do. Tanaka and Noya are ready to take you all hostage, though I think you may have been a little slap-happy in giving them that role,” she mused. Daichi knew she had a point, though he also knew that Tanaka and Noya would probably be the only two that could take on Hinata’s instability.</p><p>“Yamaguchi will be stationed here with Yachi ready to also be taken hostage. Tsukki and I will be here, setting up, for when you all return for the interrogation.” Daichi was grateful for Kiyoko’s retelling of the plan, it calmed him down. But, as Suga pinched his arm, he was forced to accept the fact that it was now or never. He and Asahi would now leave the gym and execute their plan.</p><p>Daichi was certain that the crows had his back. They knew how important this moment was, not just for Diachi, but for all of them. For the well being of the crows themselves. Daichi looked to Asahi, who nodded sharply. Daichi placed an arm on Suga’s shoulder, both to steady himself and the other man. </p><p>“You got this, Daichi,” Suga whispered as Kiyoko flashed him a rare smile of encouragement. Daichi did have this, and he knew he had this because of the people around him who cared so much to make this happen. He had this.</p><p>“Break a leg,” he teased, winking at the two as he met Asahi at the door.</p><p>“Ladies and gentlemen,” Daichi exclaimed, bringing the slow rumble of the room to a slow. The crows looked upon him in anticipation, ready for anything their leader would have to say. Daichi bit back a grin, trying to remain serious despite the delirious joy he felt. These were his people.</p><p>“It’s go-time.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Apologies for the delayed update! I was away for the weekend and unable to write. I hope you enjoy this new chapter! I was feeling lovesick writing it so I hope you liked the bit of DaiSuga fluff I wrote haha ;) Next chapter is going to be a long one, so it may be a few days before it releases. As always, thank you for reading!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Knock Knock, Who's There?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shoyo Hinata’s back hurt like hell. He’d been hunched over his knees all night, desperately trying to sleep despite the awkward circumstances. The conversations he’d had with Kageyama the night before haunted his dreams and now flooded his hazy mind. Whatever drug he’d been given last night was giving him the worst headache he’d ever experienced, similar to the time he’d allowed his friends back in Miyagi to get him blackout drunk.</p><p>	The sun had risen, shining a clean golden light through the blinds, casting shards of the golden hue upon Hinata and Kageyama. He looked over towards Kageyama, who was lying peacefully up against the wall. Hinata suspected he hadn’t moved all night, but upon searching for Kageyama’s eyes, he discovered the cause for such non-movement.</p><p>	Hinata stretched out his arms and legs, rolling his neck a few times to ease the tension. His head pounded violently with each breath, his heart literally sending waves of pain straight through his eyes. He tried to steady his breathing to ease some of the sharp pains in his stomach. After adjusting for a moment, he inched closer to where Kageyama was sleeping.</p><p>	Kageyama was haunted, Hinata could tell. At first, he’d appeared to be quite rude and selfish, possibly because of the undeniable stench of wealth and haughtiness rolling off of him at the bus stop. After the interrogation, however, Hinata’s perception of the man changed greatly, as he proved himself to be quite helpful to Hinata, whether he knew it or not. Kageyama was cold and closed off, but Hinata knew there had to be a reason why and he was determined to see through the cracks in Kageyama’s shell.</p><p>	Kageyama was breathing steadily but slowly, a calm rise and fall of his chest giving away his vulnerability. His eyes fluttered rapidly, and Hinata wondered what the raven man was dreaming about. He stared at Kageyama, taking in the details he never would have otherwise been able to. There was a scar on his eyebrow, giving him a permanent cat scratch. His scowl had disappeared, in its place was the innocent resting expression that came with sleep. Hinata’s fingers curled as he willed himself not to run his fingers through Kageyama’s hair. It looked soft and lazy and seemed to invite Hinata in.</p><p>	He cursed himself silently as he reached forward. Kageyama was clearly deep in a dream, and Hinata had no self-control. His small wiry fingers lightly touched a dark lock of Kageyama’s hair. Thankfully, Hinata smiled as the sensation was just as he’d imagined it would be. It was soft and light, and Hinata’s fingers ran through it as easily as if it had been silk. He was careful about the touch, trying not to startle Kageyama. He knew it was strange and a complete invasion of privacy, but Hinata was completely drawn in to this man and felt implored to learn the man in every sense of the word.</p><p>	Hinata pulled his fingers back slowly, letting the black hair fall lightly back to Kageyama’s forehead. The man didn’t startle, and Hinata backed up slowly to the window. He stood up, peering out of the blinds. The moon was setting, barely visible in the light of the sun. Hinata couldn’t tell just what time it was, but judging by the golden light, he figured it was roughly 7am. He wasn’t sure when Daichi and Asahi would return; all they had said was that they’d be back by morning, but what did morning constitute as? 10am? 6am? Oh god, had they come back when he and Kageyama had been asleep? Were they just being left here to die?</p><p>	Hinata went back over to Kageyama, sitting in front of him. He needed to wake him up, but he wasn’t sure how to do it without panicking the man. </p><p>	“Kageyama,” he whispered. Kageyama didn’t budge.</p><p>	“Pst,” Hinata poked Kageyama in the thigh, “Kageyama.” Still, he didn’t show any sign of awareness.</p><p>	Hinata reached out and jostled his arm, calling out his name yet again. This time, Kageyama jumped slightly, eyes narrowed and squinty in reaction to the light. “Dumbass, what are you doing?” he growled at Hinata. Hinata sat back on his heels, giving Kageyama room to stretch.</p><p>	“I’m waking you up, duh,” he teased as Kageyama flashed him another grimace. “I just woke up, but you were asleep too. I didn’t want you to get in trouble on the job,” Hinata admitted. Kageyama seemed to brush this off, but Hinata caught a flicker of gratefulness in his eye.</p><p>	“How long have you been up?” Kageyama asked, his hands flying to his side. Hinata rolled his eyes- Kageyama probably thought he’d stolen his gun.</p><p>	“About five minutes. Don’t worry, I didn’t set any traps or steal anything.”</p><p>	The two sat in silence for a moment, unsure how to converse with the tension in the air. Neither of them had a clue what was awaiting them, and neither of them knew exactly when they’d have to face the unknown. The weight of the unknown was suffocating, and Hinata refused to think about it for any longer.</p><p>	“Hey,” Hinata said, poking Kageyama in the arm.</p><p>	“What?” </p><p>	“This was a good first sleepover, wouldn’t you say?”</p><p>	Kageyama scowled at Hinata, but Hinata thought his joke was quite funny. They settled again into the comfortable silence for a moment or so. The chirping of birds outside and the space heater were the only sounds penetrating the silence.</p><p>	“Aren’t sleepovers supposed to be fun?” Kageyama asked, interrupting the quiet, startling Hinata. He smiled slightly at his success, he’d finally gotten Kageyama to seek him out for conversation.</p><p>	“You didn’t have fun?” Hinata asked. “I had fun.”</p><p>	“I wouldn’t call last night fun, it was quite boring really,” Kageyama mused. </p><p>	“I’m sorry, would you have preferred to play a game or something? I think I have Monopoly in my back pocket, silly me-” Hinata was interrupted by a chuckle from Kageyama. A real, unfiltered laugh. It was a dark laugh, but not exactly sinister. It was as silky sounding as his hair felt, elegant and mysterious. It made Hinata’s cheeks heat up unexplainably.</p><p>	“You’re an idiot, Shoyo Hinata,” Kageyama said, his voice barely audible.</p><p>	Hinata was stunned into silence. He wasn’t sure what to say that, not because he was insulted or confused, rather, because it came off as a compliment. Combined with the true laughter from Kageyama and the glint of the sun shining off of the man’s gunmetal gray eyes, Hinata felt as though he’d witnessed something he shouldn’t have. Something so personal and intimate he wondered if he’d hallucinated the whole thing. Hinata would never do another drug again if it was gonna make him go crazy like this.</p><p>	They sat in the silence again, neither of them willing to say another word. Hinata figured Kageyama was feeling the same way, dumbfounded as to how he’d reacted to Hinata’s teasing. Hinata didn’t dare spare another look, though, because he was afraid of stirring up another reaction he’d have to face.</p><p>	Hinata felt his body growing heavy as he began to fall back asleep, gently curling back up into his arms. He was so tired, and his pajamas were so comfortable, and shutting his eyes was just so-</p><p>	“Hinata.” Startled from his trance, Hinata looked to Kageyama, who was now wearing a slight frown upon his face.</p><p>	“You need to be careful,” Kageyama warned. “From here on out, you aren’t Shoyo Hinata, you’re a crow. For however long it may be, you aren’t going to be you anymore.” Hinata nodded sharply, acknowledging the fact.</p><p>	“I know I have a lot to deal with, but I also know what I want,” Hinata affirmed, looking at Kageyama right in the eye. “I want to be a part of this, and I’m willing to do what it takes.”</p><p>	“I don’t think you understand,” Kageyama groaned. “This isn’t some small-time gig like you were running, this is an organization. A network. This isn’t about you, this about us. You’re responsible for us as much as we are for you.”</p><p>	“If that’s the case, then I should have nothing to worry about,” Hinata mused. “If I have you all on my side, I don’t need to worry.” Hinata believed in that very much. He knew that whatever was coming wasn’t going to be easy, but he knew it was going to be fun. He knew there was danger, he knew he owed everything to the crows. But he knew that being with them meant he was a part of something, something worth fighting for.</p><p>	“You aren’t a part of us yet, you’re doing this because you’re indebted to us,” Kageyama affirmed, reminding Hinata of his still cheap presence.</p><p>	“But I want to be.”</p><p>	“Why? Don’t you know what this is?”</p><p>	Hinata did know what was going on. He knew perfectly well. Perhaps that’s why he wanted in so badly. To be a part of something that allowed him to do what he wanted with people just like him. He didn’t know he wanted this so badly, but now he couldn’t imagine his life without it.</p><p>	Just as Hinata went to respond, a metallic sounding scratch came from the direction of the door. Both Hinata and Kageyama looked to it, noticing the shadow of two tall men just outside the window. The door creaked open, with Daichi and Asahi stalking their way in.</p><p>	“Have a good night?” Daichi asked sarcastically as Kageyama pushed himself off the ground.</p><p>	“Lovely,” Kageyama responded just a darkly. Hinata hoisted himself from the floor, brushing off his pants as he did so.</p><p>	“We have a change of clothes for you,” Asahi said, nodding to Hinata’s disheveled appearance.</p><p>	“Thank you,” he responded civilly. Hinata figured if he wanted in, he’d have to make a lasting impression. He had his breakout moment last night, but now he wanted to prove himself to be a team player as well.</p><p>	“We’re going to take you to meet some of our guys. They know you’re with us, no need to worry,” Daichi said. He and Asahi left the room, Kageyama and Hinata in close pursuit. Hinata found the exchange quite strange. Weren’t they wanting to tie him up again? Make sure he wasn’t going to leave? Or did they actually trust him to stay with them? He was too afraid to ask, as he didn’t want to raise suspicions.</p><p>	Hinata trailed closely behind Asahi and Daichi, wanting to assure them as non verbally as possible how serious he was. Kageyama stayed in a close vicinity to him on their walk, maintaining a good amount of personal space while still being able to keep a close eye and react physically if needed. He still had Asahi’s gun, and though Hinata knew Kageyama wouldn’t kill him, he also knew he wasn’t afraid to defend himself and the others.</p><p>	The walk wasn’t long, and the morning was brisk. Hinata basked in the feeling of his feet on the ground, his lungs taking in the fresh morning air. He’d missed the sun, even though it had been only yesterday that he’d last seen it. The past few hours had been so exhausting that Hinata could hardly believe it was such a small chunk of his life.</p><p>	Taking in his surroundings, Hinata never would have guessed he’d been taken to an old schoolyard. He figured gangs would be a bit more sinister in their headquarters, maybe in a hidden room in an alleyway or perhaps even a dungeon or basement of sorts. He never pictured a campus like this though, one so out in the open and public.</p><p>	They arrived at a tall, long building. Hinata reasoned that it must have been a gym back in the day. It seems rusted and run-down, but gangs were supposed to have money, right? Or was he being duped by this group of strangers?</p><p>	Daichi unlocked the door, letting Kageyama drag Hinata in first, followed by Daichi and Asahi. The gym wasn’t full, but it had a few people scattered around mingling. Hinata couldn’t believe his eyes; all of the people in the room looked so normal. They looked like people he’d passed on the street, people he’d see once and never think about again. People so average and inconspicuous that Hinata would never wonder about their motives or habits.</p><p>	For all of the people watching he’d done, he couldn’t seem to place just what set these people apart from all of the others who were just as normal, of course minus the crime. Hinata was astounded that seemingly average people like this were up to what they were doing. It made his heart beat double-time.</p><p>	“Shoyo Hinata, welcome to the Crow’s Nest,” Daichi said, a theatrical hand showing to the others. They turned their heads, curious but not eager to meet him. Hinata couldn’t say the same for himself, he needed to know these people.</p><p>	Hinata made his way from his group over to two of the crows.  A young man stood off in the corner, his mossy colored hair was wild and unruly, similar to Hinata’s. On his arm was a young girl, short and blond, with a kind face and seemingly perpetual smile plastered on her face. Hinata couldn’t tell if it was genuine or just frozen on her.</p><p>	“Shoyo Hinata, right?” The man asked, startled by Hinata’s eagerness but not unprepared.</p><p>	“That’s me. What’s your name?” Hinata asked. His genuine desire to know these people was driving him to act like a wound up chihuahua. Behind him, he heard the faint argument between Daichi and Kageyama. He assumed it had something to do with his escape for the sake of socialization, but he couldn’t quite tell.</p><p>	“I’m Tadashi Yamaguchi,” he responded plainly. Hinata smiled and nodded in response. Yamaguchi clearly did not have anything of importance to say to Hinata, which wasn’t unexpected, but he was kind in manner. Hinata liked Yamaguchi, and could tell that the man had nothing but good intentions towards Hinata, despite his clear hesitance.</p><p>	Hinata turned to the girl, a smile still stitched onto her innocent face. It was a bit unnerving, seeing a smile so wide with almost nothing behind the eyes.</p><p>	“Shoyo Hinata,” Hinata said, extending his hand to hers. She raised hers in response, giggling at the formality.</p><p>	“Hitoka Yachi,” she said, the smile as strong as ever. She giggled as Hinata shook her hand firmly, her grip equally as firm, if not slightly hostile. Hinata just returned her smile, though he wasn’t sure that the girl was as amiable as Yamaguchi. </p><p>	“Hinata, over here,” Daichi called, waving Hinata over. Hinata waved to the pair before turning towards Daichi again.</p><p>	“The others are out on a job right now, let me take you on a tour of the grounds before they get back.” Hinata nodded excitedly, ready to get a look at his new world.</p><p>	They turned towards the door, ready to leave, when four steady knocks came at the door. The room went silent, a tense, thick aura filling the room. Hinata looked quizzically at Daichi, who’s eyes were widened and muscles taut. Yamaguchi and Yachi sidled up next to them, Yamaguchi flashing Daichi a look similar to Hinata’s.</p><p>	“T-that was four, that’s not one of us,” Yachi warned, her voice shaky and uncertain. Hinata noticed that there was still a hint of a smile on her face, though her eyes were just as steely as Hinata’s nerves.</p><p>	Kageyama quietly paced to Hinata, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.</p><p>	“I fucking knew it. I fucking KNEW you were with someone,” he hissed, quietly but not lacking any venom. Hinata’s eyes widened further, his heart pounding rapidly throughout his body.</p><p>	“What the fuck are you talking about? What’s going on?” Hinata pleaded, looking around at those in the room. No one was giving him any answers. Asahi reached over to Kageyama, taking the gun from him before he could put it to use. Everyone in the room looked as though they were anticipating Goliath himself to burst in through the doors. </p><p>A door behind them opened, everyone turning rapidly to meet the unknown person. A man with gray hair and a slender frame came sprinting from the doors, reaching out to grab Kageyama by the arm. Kageyama didn’t seem to respond with hostility, though his confusion remained evident on his face.</p><p>“We have to go, now, they’re gonna be here-” The gray haired man was interrupted as the lights in the gym shut off. The group was plunged into sudden darkness, Hinata blinking several times to readjust his eyesight. He felt completely out of place, now more than ever, trying desperately to grasp what was happening. This couldn’t be his fault, could it? </p><p>A muffled grunt came from Hinata’s right, he turned to search for the source of the sound, but saw nothing. The darkness was swimming around him, and his eyes were frantically trying to adjust, but the panic was clouding over his senses.</p><p>Another cry to his right, and two more from the front. How many people were here, and how many weren’t? Hinata felt his muscles stiffen to the point where he was sure they’d snap clean apart. He wanted to call out to someone, Daichi, Asahi, Kageyama even, but he suddenly realized what was happening.</p><p>This was an invasion, and him calling out the names of his fellow members would only give the invaders information. He resolved to panic internally, whipping and back forth trying to grasp awareness. Before he could, he felt two strong, calloused hands grab his shoulders, yanking him to the floor. He grunted, a sharp but dull pain searing his lower back. He tasted blood from how he’d bitten his tongue upon impact. </p><p>He felt a pair of hands holding his wrists together so tight he couldn’t move or feel them. Struggling against the grip only caused the pain to explode throughout Hinata’s body, but he felt helpless just laying there on the cold gym floor. He felt another set of hands on his ankles, and despite his attempts to fling them off, he received a blunt and forceful hit from the butt end of what he assumed was a gun. </p><p>Hinata’s vision, still dark, burned red with fury and pain. He wasn’t sure if the injury given would last, but the searing pain in his ankle was screaming at him otherwise. He felt his wrists getting tied together, but not with rope like Asahi and Kageyama had done. Rather, it was a tough plastic material. A zip tie,  Hinata reasoned, realizing what was happening.</p><p>How the fuck am I getting nabbed twice in 24 hours? Is this shit gonna happen all the time?</p><p>Finally, a third set of hands worked to tie a blindfold around Hinata’s eyes. He scoffed lightly, as if he could see anyway. His eyes had just been getting used to the darkness, but he could only make out small shapes, not details. Still, the blindfold seemed a bit unnecessary.</p><p>The hands on his wrists and ankles lifted him off the ground, carrying him off from the floor. Hinata bit back a cry as the grip around his ankle irritated the bruises that were sure to be there. His breathing was rapid and unsteady, his muscles still tense and ready to fight. Hinata wanted so badly to verbally attack whoever the hell had done this, but he wasn’t sure what he should and shouldn’t say, nor did he know the cause of the attack. It wasn’t worth the risk, despite the gnawing temptation pounding in time with his heart. He heard the doors of the gym open and saw faint daylight seeping in through his blindfold. The cold air hit him sharply, and he realized without a doubt that his ankle was bleeding, the cold contrast of the air versus the warm spread of blood around his shin. </p><p>It didn’t upset him that he’d been hurt, he never was sensitive in terms of pain or blood. But it really pissed him off that some random assholes could come out of nowhere and abuse him as they saw fit. Matter of fact, it pissed him off so bad, he felt the need to take matters into his own hands, though he just wasn’t sure how.</p><p>Hinata heard the sounds of a car door opening, and felt as the hands carrying him shifted his weight so that they could slide him into the vehicle. He was immobilized and couldn’t do anything but let them twist his body as they desired, fitting him securely upright in the seat. He felt a warm body beside him, but didn’t dare speak out to catch it’s attention. The body could have been silent by resolve, or, god forbid, knocked out or dead. Hinata didn’t feel like rationalizing the situation in fear of the worst case scenario. Instead, he turned inward, focusing on calming his rapid breathing and getting all of the information that he could out of his surroundings.</p><p>As it stood, Hinata knew only a few things. He knew he’d been in the gym with Asahi, Daichi, Kageyama, Yachi, and Yamaguchi just as the knocks came at the door. He knew that everyone was panicked, and that Kageyama had accused him of being a traitor. He knew that a man with gray hair ran out to Kageyama, and that Kageyama had to have been familiar with him. He knew that the lights shut off and that suddenly his team had dropped like flies.</p><p>Suddenly, Hinata realized something that he never would have concluded before. With the lights off, Hinata easily would have noticed if someone had broken through the doors. However, the group remained plunged in darkness throughout the attack, meaning that whoever had taken the group had already been inside the facility before the attack even took place.</p><p>It meant that the infiltrators had been inside much before they’d taken action.</p><p>It meant that whatever information Hinata had tried to conceal with his silence had most likely already been known by the infiltrator.</p><p>Hinata had no more advantage over them, rather, they now had the upper hand over him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi y'all! I hope you enjoy this chapter, it was especially long, so the second part will be released later. I hope you all are having a good week, and as always, thank you for reading and being so supportive of this story. I hope you're having as much fun reading it as I am writing it :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Eye for an Eye</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Apologies for the delayed update! To make up for it, this chapter is almost three times the normal size. There is a slight bit of gore, but not too much. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's a wild one ;)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>7.</p><p>	If there was one word to describe Hinata’s state of mind during the past twenty-four hours, he would absolutely pick ‘frenzied.’ All he’d wanted to do was fulfill his sly desire for pickpocketing, but now here he was, sitting tied and blindfolded in the back of some random car, only hours after being kidnapped from his own home, drugged, held at gunpoint, and eventually manipulated into joining a gang. Hinata wondered if he’d get fired from the coffee shop for not going to his opening shift today. He wondered where the hell his phone was.</p><p>	For fuck’s sake, he hadn’t even changed out of his pijamas yet.</p><p>	His wrists burned from the friction of the zip-ties restricting their movement. He didn’t regret fighting against them, but the rope burn from earlier that morning didn’t exactly give him a strong physical fortitude. His ankle pulsated from the hit he had taken moments earlier, and he cringed thinking about the blood stains that were probably painting his leg an awful crimson color. Hinata was tough when it came to pain and gore, but it annoyed the hell out of him when he had to deal with it.</p><p>	He listened closely to any sounds that his captors were making, trying desperately to get any clues from his hearing. He had no vision and no ability to touch, leaving him entirely dependent on the sounds around him to give him the answers he so desired. He squirmed slightly in the seat, the claustrophobia of the situation finally kicking in at full force.</p><p>	Hinata felt the body next to him, but it didn’t seem to move, not even at his slight shifting. Hinata didn’t dare provoke the body in any way in case the person was being still for the sake of strategy. He prayed that that was the case, otherwise the person beside him was most likely knocked out cold or potentially even…</p><p>	Hinata was jolted from his spiraling thoughts as he heard the driver’s side car door slam shut. He heard a heavy sigh and the shifting of a new weight upon the leather seats. Hinata unconsciously held his breath as the tension in the car rose dramatically from it’s already soaring heights. Suddenly, the passenger’s side door shut as well, a more vocalized sigh coming from the new person. He heard the clicking of seatbelts and the dull roar of the car starting up.</p><p>	“Ready?” The driver questioned, presumably at the passenger. Hinata noted that the voice was syrup-like, deep and methodical. Ironically, the voice wasn’t sweet, rather it had a bitter undertone that clued Hinata into thinking that perhaps this job was more of an inconvenience for the driver than not.</p><p>	“As we’ll ever be,” the passenger replied. In contrast to the driver, the passenger’s voice was much higher in pitch, almost resembling that of a pubescent child. Hinata bit his tongue, trying to keep his mind on track. As amusing as the idea was, it wasn’t plausible that the group had brought along a child to complete their job. A child was of no use, and was a hindrance to the success of the mission. The voice was mischievous and playful, but stone-cold in such a determined way that Hinata believed was similar to his own.</p><p>	Hinata sat uncharacteristically still as the car began to pull out of the spot it had previously been parked in. He felt the body next to him shift ever so slightly, but attributed the movement to that of the car. His fingers curled in his lap as the urge to provoke the body washed over him with the same intensity as a heat flash. He desperately needed to get a sense of his surroundings, and not being able to take action was tearing him apart, thread by thread.</p><p>	He needed to move. He needed to speak. He needed to antagonize something, anything, just to feel in control.</p><p>	He shifted his weight slightly, holding his breath as if it would help him avoid a subtle noise on the scratchy leather seats. He leaned towards the body, taking note of the way it felt underneath him. He felt it shift away from him ever so slightly. It was such a subtle movement that Hinata wondered if he’d made it up. But he knew for sure that putting his weight on the body had caused it to move, but not tip over, meaning the person had to be conscious, or at least enough so that it could stay upright. Relief crashed over him as he realized that the body beside him was alive.</p><p>	Invigorated by the newfound sense of control, Hinata felt powerful enough to speak up to his captors. They had tied him up and blindfolded him, sure, but they hadn’t gagged him. It was almost as if they were inviting him to speak up, and Hinata was more than happy to oblige them.</p><p>	“Who are you?” He blurted before he could regret anything. He heard a light scoff coming from the driver.</p><p>	“Who are YOU, crow?” The driver snarled. Clearly he thought that Hinata was a member of the crows, an official one at that.</p><p>	“What makes you think I’ll say?” Hinata jeered back. His heart sped up with every word, practically screaming at him to keep talking.</p><p>	“Same goes for you, shortcake,” the passenger cackled shamelessly. Hinata squirmed in his seat, the energy radiating off of him as he yearned to defend his manhood.</p><p>	“My height has nothing to do with my strength,” Hinata asserted.</p><p>	“Sure it doesn’t,” the passenger affirmed, “but to be quite honest I don’t think you’re going to be too much of a fight anyway. You weren’t back there, at least.”</p><p>	“What do you want with us?” Hinata asked, diverting from the topic. As much as Hinata would have loved to engage the man in a frivolous argument, he needed to deal with the actual issue- the fact that he and his gang had just been taken hostage for god knows what reason.</p><p>	“Look, kid, don’t play dumb with us. You know what you did, and we do too. We haven’t forgotten.” The driver’s voice heated noticeably, losing its lackluster tone from earlier. Hinata had pressed a nerve without even meaning to, and he intended to keep going.</p><p>	“I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what I could have possibly done to you.”</p><p>	“Just shows how little regard you take in your jobs,” the passenger purred.</p><p>	“So what are you going to do with me? With us?” Hinata asked for what felt like the millionth time. He was getting irritated again, and quickly.</p><p>	“That’s none of your concern at the moment,” the driver noted, “but just know that you’re going to get what’s coming to you. All of the injustice you did to us is coming right back to you. None of us are going to hold back.”</p><p> </p><p>		--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>	Tobio Kageyama was furious, more so than he ever thought he could be. Who in their right mind had ever thought it would be a good idea to let Shoyo Hinata get his dirty paws all over the crows’ territory? Who thought it was a good idea to bring him in?</p><p>	Oh. Yeah, that’s right. He had. Damn his stupid brain and awful people skills. He’d been the one to defend Hinata to Daichi and Asahi, consequently making him the one responsible for whatever the hell was happening. </p><p>	The lights had gone off shortly after Koushi Sugawara had busted out of the equipment closet in a frenzy, grabbing onto Kageyama’s arm like it was the only thing anchoring him to that present moment. As the lights went off and the muffled grunts and Yachi’s scream of terror filled the gymnasium, Kageyama was pulled back into the closet by Suga, who closed the door quickly and quietly.</p><p>	“What…. The fuck…. Is going on?” Kageyama asked through breathless pants. The equipment closet was dark, which led Kageyama to be unable to read the expression on Suga’s face. Was he just as horrified as Kageyama? Or was he composed, perhaps even prepared to handle the situation?</p><p>	Goddamn, Kageyama was so pissed, he probably could have single-handedly taken Hinata and his crew down.</p><p>	“Kageyama, don’t panic. It’s the plan,” Suga said carefully. Kageyama’s eyes narrowed as he yanked his arm away from Suga’s grasp.</p><p>	“Plan?”</p><p>	“Daichi and I talked while you were watching over Hinata,” Suga explained in a slow voice. It was the voice that one used to explain something to a small child who had no understanding of the world. Kageyama felt stupid, like he was one of the schoolchildren that Suga taught at his day job.</p><p>	“We decided that the best way to test Hinata in a controlled environment was to recreate a dangerous scenario without his knowledge. Throwing him in something straight away can test his boundaries, his reactions, his willingness. We can adjust as we need to in order to elicit certain reactions and get certain information,” Suga said.</p><p>	Just before Kageyama could question the method, he heard the creaking of the gym doors as they opened, and moments later the slam of them shutting. Suga grabbed Kageyama’s arm again, pulling him out of the equipment closet. Suga flipped the lights on again, prompting Kageyama’s questions to flow freely.</p><p>	“How did you get the light’s to cut out?”</p><p>	“Nishinoya was in the equipment closet with me. He flipped them off just as he saw me grab your arm as the door shut.”</p><p>	“Wait, who’s in on this?”</p><p>	“Tanaka and Nishinoya took Hinata. The others you were with were also taken, but obviously not in such a hostile manner. Tsukishima and Ennoshita are driving them to Ukai’s. There was a bit of a change of plans with that… situation.”</p><p>	“Situation?”</p><p>	“Moments before Daichi and Asahi got to the club room to get the two of you, Daichi called me in a panic saying that we needed a change of plans. Originally, we were going to handle everything on our grounds, just to make sure that there could be no outsider that just happened to see our operation. But apparently Ukai found out about us bringing in new flesh and chewed Daichi out. Said we needed to do it in the backroom at the convenience store where he can monitor the whole thing.”</p><p>	Kageyama huffed out a laugh, though it didn’t show on his face. “So what you’re saying is that we’re making this public when it absolutely shouldn’t be?”</p><p>	“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Suga sighed. “Kiyoko had to drive the rest of the guys up to the store, leaving you and me to figure out how to get there on our own.”</p><p>	“How the fuck are we supposed to get there by the time they do?” Kageyama balked. “The train will take too long, we can’t walk there fast enough, and if they took both cars then-”</p><p>	“We’re gonna need to haul ass on the bikes,” Suga finished. Kageyama’s face paled. It wasn’t that he couldn’t ride a bike, it was that he felt stupid doing it. He wasn’t good at it, and it honestly felt so awkward to him. His sister always made it look so easy, but he could never quite replicate her graceful movements as she’d sped far ahead of him. He was always falling off the pedals, and could never quite seem to keep his balance.</p><p>	“Shit, we’re never gonna make it there.”</p><p>	“Head up, Yama,” Suga cheered, slapping him on the back sharply. “We’ve got ten minutes at most. You up for a race?”</p><p>	Kageyama most certainly was not up for a race. He knew that much before he even got on the bike, but as the pair peddled violently towards the convenience store, it only became more apparent. Kageyama was in good shape, and he always worked to better his physical state, but it didn’t show in his bike riding abilities.</p><p>	He panted hard as he willed his legs to steady beneath him. The bike wobbled left and right, left and right, as the pair rode out towards the suburbs. Sugawara was a decent distance ahead of him, making him feel so much weaker. Though he had the height, and probably the muscle advantage over Suga, the older man clearly had a sense of stamina that Kageyama lacked.</p><p>	A wave of nostalgia crashed over him unceremoniously, forcing him back into a time where he’d been on a ride with his sister. She’d been riding quite aways ahead of Kageyama, looking over her shoulder to him, smiling. She’d called out his name, beckoning him towards her, and he recalled the pain of his little legs as they pushed him towards her. </p><p>	“Look, Yama!” She’d called to him, lifting her arms from the handlebars. She whooped and hollered as she allowed her legs to be her only source of balance. She leaned side to side, allowing her weight to guide the bike as it continued on down the road. Kageyama had stared at her in awe as she effortlessly sped on down the street.</p><p>	He remembered being so in awe of her abilities that he’d tried it on his own.</p><p>	Kageyama had lifted his left arm off the bars, feeling a shift already in his precarious state of balance. He stumbled a bit, trying to regain stability. Once he’d felt comfortable, he’d lifted up his other hand. However, in a much less graceful fashion than his sister, he’d immediately panicked at the loss of control, and tumbled over with his bike crashing unceremoniously on top of him. He’d cried out for his sister, who seemed to rush over in moments, despite her distance from him in the beginning.</p><p>	He’d cried in her arms as she checked him for any bad injuries. Luckily, he didn’t have any, and she smiled down at him, wiping stray tears from his cheeks.</p><p>	“Hey, it’s okay, don’t cry! You’ve only got a few scratches here and there. Let’s go home, I’ll bandage you up.” She’d then walked her bike beside his on their journey back to the Kageyama household, occasionally peeking over to make sure that he was still okay. Kageyama had been much too embarrassed to look back at her, but he knew that if he had, he would have been met with a smile brighter than the sun and all of it’s stars.</p><p>	“Kageyama, watch out!” Suga called. Kageyama startled out of his daydream, realizing just in time that he was milliseconds away from rear-ending Sugawara at almost full speed. He skidded to a stop, only stumbling a little bit as he peeled himself from the seat of his bike. He certainly felt like a little kid again, with his winter coat, earmuffs and gloves. </p><p>	“Sorry, I was distracted,” Kageyama mumbled. How the hell had he gotten all this way without realizing?</p><p>	“Yeah, I can see that,” Suga teased, pulling Kageyama by the arm yet again down the alley between the shop and the building next door.</p><p>	“God, I really ought to start putting leashes on you people,” Suga groaned.</p><p>	“You really don’t,” Kageyama countered, mortified at the idea of being leashed up by the older man. “I think I do a fine job of following you around.”</p><p>	“You do,” Suga affirmed, “but I worry about some of the others.” Kageyama wriggled his way out of Suga’s grip, trying to nonverbally assert his independence. </p><p>	Suga knocked on the door three times. Knock knock… knock. The door opened ever so slightly as a hand grabbed Suga, who yet again latched onto Kageyama, pulling the two into the dark room.</p><p>	“Fuck, you boys are always so irresponsible with your planning,” a sultry voice complained. Even in the dark, Kageyama felt a blush rise to his cheeks. Kiyoko Shimizu was somehow just as glamorous in the pitch black as she was under the spotlight. </p><p>	“That’s not on us, that’s on Ukai, and you know it,” Suga moaned teasingly. Kageyama heard Kiyoko scoff lightly at the retaliation, though he knew it wasn’t in a rude manner. </p><p>	“Shit, I know that’s on Ukai. I made him do set-up by himself as punishment.”</p><p>	“And he let you boss him around like that?”</p><p>	“‘Course he did. With Takeda’s help, of course.”<br/>	Kiyoko flipped on a light, revealing the room’s set-up. The room was intended to be for storage for the convenience store, but Ukai occasionally used it for the crows’ antics. He insisted that they held emergency meetings there when he couldn’t get off work. It was incredibly lazy as their “leader,” but they accepted it nonetheless. There were six chairs in a circle, all facing outwards. Nothing on the walls except for a few lanterns hanging. </p><p>	“What’s up with the lanterns? It’s the 21st century,” Kageyama snorted.</p><p>	“Mood lighting. Ukai insisted we make this as dramatic as possible,” Kiyoko explained, stoic. Clearly she did not find the same humor in it that Ukai did.</p><p>	“Very theatrical of us,” Kageyama agreed.</p><p>	“Not us,” Suga corrected, “The Tokyo Tigers!”</p><p>	Kageyama balked. He felt his breath catch in his chest as he forced down a biting laugh. “T-the what?” he choked out, willing himself to stay neutral.</p><p>	“Obviously Hinata doesn’t know we’re the crows, he’s gotta think we’re some rival gang. So, we’re the Tokyo Tigers.”</p><p>	“That sounds horribly made up,” Kageyama noted, rolling his eyes only slightly.</p><p>	“Yes, because the Karasuno Crows is so much less obvious. Thank you for the input, oh wise one,” Suga joked, bowing down to Kageyama.</p><p>	“Shut up,” Kageyama said, glaring at Suga. He hated it when people teased him as being ‘better than.’ He knew he wasn’t, and he hated it when people accused him of thinking that.</p><p>	“Shit,” Kiyoko exclaimed, hurriedly leaving the room.</p><p>	“Doesn’t sound good,” Suga groaned, following her out of the room. Kageyama trailed closely behind, willing to do whatever it took to get everything in shape.</p><p>	The three left the storage room, heading to the actual supply room of the shop. There, Yamaguchi, Ennoshita, and Tanaka were looking expectantly at Kiyoko, who was already barking orders at them.</p><p>	“We need another chair. We need to fix the script. We need to hurry, I already told Noya to stall the other car. We don’t have time,” she barked, hustling around them in search of more equipment.</p><p>	“Woah, woah, what are we missing?” Yamaguchi asked, his nerves spreading like a blush over his face.</p><p>	“Suga’s here. Suga wasn’t supposed to be here,” Kiyoko mumbled, busying herself with more rope.</p><p>	“Oh… shit…” Tanaka said nonchalantly. </p><p>	“Wait, I don’t understand, why is this such a roadblock?” Kageyama asked, looking between his peers to explain to him what the issue was.</p><p>	“We wrote a very specific storyline so that there wouldn’t be any holes,” Ennoshita explained, letting Kiyoko continue to gather materials. “Since the plan is already in action, it’s going to be hard to improv around the new person.”</p><p>	“I don’t get it, can’t we just pretend that Suga had nothing to do with it as well?” Kageyama asked.</p><p>	“We can’t, the entire point of the demonstration is proving to Hinata that the consequences brought upon us are suffered by all of us. Besides, Suga would know about what was going on, we can’t have him fake innocence because clearly he wouldn’t be.”</p><p>	“That’s right, Kags, because we all know how much of a little devil our Suga is,” Tanaka chuckled, patting Suga sharply on the back.</p><p>	“We’ve got five minutes, max,” Kiyoko warned, handing the materials over to the boys to set up. “Kageyama, Sugawara, you’ve got to get tied up and stationed.”</p><p>	“Shit, I wish she’d offer to tie me up,” Tanaka moaned, shuffling his feet into the back room.</p><p>	“Wait, I don’t know the plan, what’s the plan?” Kageyama asked as Suga pushed him back into the room.</p><p>	“You and I are gonna switch roles,” Suga explained. “I’ll pretend I was in on the scheme, and you’ll be the one to improv.”</p><p>	“What the hell, why?” Kageyama snapped. “I’m not a good actor like you are.”</p><p>	“Yes, I know, but you know Hinata the most. You’ll be able to set him off based on what you say. That, and I trust your ability to fill in the blanks.”</p><p>	“Fucking hell,” Kiyoko moaned, leaning against the wall of the back room. She flipped the lights off, leaving only the lanterns to illuminate the room. “I need a fucking drink.”</p><p> </p><p>			-------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>	They had easily been driving for an hour. At least, it certainly felt like it to Hinata, who hadn’t been able to move more than one muscle at a time in their entire excursion. He was going to be stiff as a board after all of this still motion.</p><p>	Hinata could have sworn that the silence was getting louder, as the voice in his head was getting drowned out again and again by the dull roar of the car and his own breathing. Wherever these people were taking him was far away as hell, and he hated not knowing where he was.</p><p>	“Where the hell are we going?” He asked, finally unable to restrain himself.</p><p>	The driver scoffed at him again. God, this guy really loved to scoff. “You sound just like a nasty little kid. ‘Are we there yet, are we there yet?’”</p><p>	“Don’t you worry, kid, we’re almost there,” the passenger affirmed, patting Hinata’s knee. Hinata flinched at the touch, unprepared for the contact. Though, he noted that the hands that touched him were significantly small, probably the same size if not smaller than his own. For Christ’s sake, was this actually a kid?</p><p>	“I don’t know what you’re in such a hurry for, you act like this is something to look forward to,” the driver said condescendingly.</p><p>	“You don’t get it,” Hinata said impatiently, “I have no clue who you are or what I did. But I am curious to find out. And when I do, you bet your asses I’m not going to forget this. I’m not going to forget being wrongly accused like this.”</p><p>	“You’re a crow, kid. We know that as much as you do. You aren’t being wrongly accused of shit.”</p><p>	“I didn’t take any part in whatever the hell you think I did.”</p><p>	“Maybe not. But your guys did, and quite honestly, I don’t care who reaps the consequences.”</p><p>	Hinata couldn’t believe it, these men weren’t letting any information out. Why were they being so secretive, yet so open with him? They were much too kind, yet so closed off. It seemed backwards to him, as though they should have been much more brute and much more vocal about whatever situation had transpired. Though, perhaps that was what awaited him after their journey.</p><p>	The same journey that had just come to a close, as Hinata felt the speed of the car decrease significantly as the driver audibly shifted into the parking gear. Hinata stayed still, awaiting further news. Though, none came, and just as silently as his disposal, he listened as the two men exited the car, and opened the two back doors.  Hinata felt the body beside his being pulled away from him. Before he had any time to question, he felt hands grab his zip tied wrists, pulling him to the side. He fell over slightly, relying on the other set of hands to steady him. He felt as two arms hooked under his shoulders, pulling him out of the car and pushing his head directly into the body’s chest. It smelled expensive, which made Hinata’s mouth water. Maybe all of the brute force was worth it if he could afford to spend the money he made on such luxuries.</p><p>	A pair of hands grabbed his ankles, lifting him up as he had been before. He felt a strange sense of vertigo crash over him at the switch of balance, sending a pang of nausea down his spine. He hated being immobile like this, and he felt like dead weight in their arms.</p><p>	In silence, he was carried by the two men, perhaps only a few feet away from where they had started. Hinata wondered if they were in an abandoned lot, like the crows’ place. However, it didn’t seem as eerily silent, and he could hear the men’s shoes as they padded on asphalt. </p><p>	He knew the situation was quite serious, he really did, but he couldn’t escape the twinge of a laugh on his lips as the stupidity of his reality set in. Though, he only had a moment, as the group stopped walking and Hinata heard knocking on what sounded like a large metal door.</p><p>	Knock knock… knock. Three knocks, steady on the door. The rhythm was so particular, so specific. It had to be code for something, he presumed. The door opened with a swing, as Hinata allowed himself to be carried through the sliver of door that had been opened.</p><p>	The room smelled musty, but not necessarily old. He let himself be adjusted as the two pairs of hands set him on yet another cold folding chair. Again, they worked diligently to tie him down with rope, and Hinata felt no desire to interrupt their process. Maybe he was the world’s biggest idiot for letting random ass men tie his limbs down, immobilizing him further than he already was, but Hinata was clearly full of surprises these days.</p><p>	He felt a pair of smaller hands pull off his blindfold, his face eyes staring directly into the bosom of the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.</p><p>	And that was no exaggeration either. Hinata probably would have bowed down at her feet in any other situation. She radiated power, and confidence, and he watered at the mouth just thinking of her....</p><p>	“You’re so easily distracted, aren’t you?” She purred, letting her fingertips brush against his jaw as she pulled away from his face. Hinata gulped, trying desperately to get a word out, but for fuck’s sake, she literally rendered him speechless. If the crows had done something in the name of getting with this woman, maybe he didn’t blame them.</p><p>	“Hinata, just keep your mouth shut, let us handle this,” a voice to his left said. Hinata craned his neck, trying to locate the source of the voice. They were positioned just so they couldn’t make easy eye contact, but Hinata recognized the pouf of green hair to be Yamaguchi. Hinata cast his steely gaze back to the woman, noticing a tall, slender man beside her. He had blonde hair, sharply angled glasses, and a scowl of discontent that rivaled Kageyama’s.</p><p>	Kageyama…. where the hell was Kageyama?</p><p>	“You’ll be delighted to know that he had a god awful time keeping his trap shut on the ride over,” the blondie noted sarcastically. Ah, so this was the asshole chauffeuring Hinata around all morning.</p><p>	“Dumbass,” he heard a voice mumble, catty corner behind him and to his left. So it turned out Kageyama was here after all.</p><p>	“Why do you need him to keep his mouth shut? Does he know something you all don’t? Is he the person responsible for everything?” The blonde man asked, stalking closer and closer to Hinata’s seat. Hinata held his gaze intently, refusing to back away before the taller man could. Regardless of the power dynamic, Hinata would break all of the rules that nature had set for him. He was determined to prove his power, his worth, and show this rival group just who the hell he was.</p><p>	“I don’t know you.” </p><p>	“We know you, Shoyo Hinata,” Kiyoko said, her voice slipping like silk into Hinata’s ears. He shifted his laser gaze over to her, refusing to lighten up at the sight of such a gorgeous exterior. If she was out to get him as much as the others, that made her just as ugly in his eyes.</p><p>	“What you did to our brother.... It’s disgusting. You’re disgusting.”</p><p>	“For fuck’s sake,” Daichi called out, presumably close to where Kageyama was sitting. “Your brother deserved every last ounce of what he got. You can’t possibly forget what he did to us first.”</p><p>	“He didn’t do shit to you!” A small voice called out from behind Hinata. It sounded like the passenger from earlier, and he was certain that he was letting Daichi have it. </p><p>	“Stealing from our supply? Holding Yachi at gunpoint?”</p><p>	Hinata balked. No way, these people had held that girl at gunpoint. She seemed so… innocent? Perhaps that wasn’t the right word, after all, she was sitting tied to a chair just as he was, and that made her no more innocent than him. Hinata heard a piercing giggle fill the room.</p><p>	“Oh please, Daichi, you know I love the thrill anyway,” she said through her laughter. Hinata just stared at the wall, unable to form a coherent thought.</p><p>	“Thrill is different from near-death,” Daichi said calmly.</p><p>	“No, no. Thrill is knowing that death is always a constant probability!” Hinata could hear the smile on her face, and could picture it splitting wider and wider as she spoke. He wondered if he was genuinely as crazy as she sounded, or if she was just playing it up.</p><p>	“So we used a little threat on her, so what? She seemed to enjoy it anyway, unlike our Tanaka,” the passenger said.</p><p>	“Yeah,” a boisterous, loud and personable voice exclaimed. “Do you honestly think I wanted this?” As a pause in the commotion took place, Hinata’s mind raced as he wondered what “this” could possibly be.</p><p>	“You knew what you were doing when you came to our grounds, Noya,” Daichi growled, refusing to let the other men get the upper hand. “Next time, don’t underestimate our power.”</p><p>	“Don’t you get it?” The blonde man laughed, walking over to where Daichi was positioned. Hinata wriggled in his seat, desperately trying to adjust his view to see the blondie’s men. “There will be no next time. You’re going to give up the name of the guy who did this, and we’re going to handle him.”</p><p>	“Jackass, what if it was a woman?” Yachi complained.</p><p>	“Are you insinuating that this is your doing?”</p><p>	“Of course not! I might like a little thrill but only if it’s for my benefit,” she giggled.</p><p>	“Then I want one of you to spill. Right now, one of you is going to tell me who did this, or you’re all getting cut up.” Hinata felt the color drain from his face as he wished more desperately than ever to see what was going on around him. What the hell was the blondie talking about? What in the hell was going on? He struggled against his restraints, rattling his chair on the ground.</p><p>	“Uh oh, looks like we’ve got a little fighter over here!” He heard the passenger exclaim. A small figure walked into his peripheral vision, and the person he was met with wasn’t far from what he had originally pictured. The man was small, probably 5’3 on a good day, with spiky brown hair with a streak of bleach blond flopping down on his forehead. His eyes were wide and searching, and his face was angular and strong. </p><p>	“What’s up, kid? You got something you want to say?” the man asked. Hinata stared at him, mouth slightly agape. It was here and now, he couldn’t afford to screw up. But what the hell could he say? If he didn’t know anything, but clearly and obviously had no other alibi…</p><p>	“Hot shot must have ran out of words in the car, huh?” The blondie chuckled darkly. “Too bad. Does anyone have any final objections? Anything you’d like to say? The floor is yours.” Still, silence thickened in the room, as none of the crows so much as breathe heavy. </p><p>“So be it. Bring him in.” Hinata listened as the sounds of a door opening flooded his senses. He was facing in the wrong direction to see just who had walked in the door, and again, the sense of helplessness crashed over him as he fought again to swivel around.</p><p>	“They didn’t spill?” A new voice echoed. It was gravelly and dark, similar to Daichi’s but with the added element of grit.</p><p>	“Not a word,” the small man confirmed.</p><p>	“Shame,” the gritty voice purred. Hinata heard footsteps as they stalked slowly around the room. Hinata wriggled more, desperate for a glance at the unidentified people on the other side of the room.</p><p>	“Tangerine over here has been putting up a fight against his ties,” a loud voice exclaimed. Hinata heard a separate, faster set of footsteps approach him, as a tall, bald man with wild eyes approached him. “You scared, kiddo?” the man asked. He placed his hands on both of Hinata’s shoulders, jostling him side to side.</p><p>	“Enough, Tanaka,” the gravely voice commanded. Tanaka immediately withdrew his hands, compliant with the authoritative tone. Tanaka took a step back, keeping an eye on Hinata, who had still resolved to crane his neck to either side.</p><p>	Hinata caught a glimpse of a new person in his peripheral. He was tall, stocky, and his bleached hair was tied back by a thin headband. He was lined with piercings, and Hinata could see tattoos peaking out from the collar of his sweatshirt. He was intimidating, no doubt, but he differed from the rest of the men that Hinata had met. They were all dressed as though they had money, riches, wealth. This man, on the contrary, was dressed as though he needed to run to the grocery store late at night, with a baggy sweatshirt and trousers. In any other scenario, Hinata wouldn’t have thought twice about this man.</p><p>	But now, as he stalked around to Hinata’s seat, carrying a knife more pristine than Hinata could even imagine being in a five star kitchen, Hinata realized that this man was about ready to deal the crows their fate.</p><p>	“I take it you’re the tangerine, given by that hair of yours,” the man said, finally standing directly in front of Hinata.</p><p>	“You got it, Sherlock,” Hinata said, dealing a bit of sarcasm to the man. He kicked himself internally for not being professional, but he felt a small wave of tension expel from his body at the same time.</p><p>	“A smartass… You know, usually I kinda like a smartass. They’re a little more fun to deal with, and I like them on my team.” The man stepped closer, and closer, leaning down only mere inches away from Hinata’s face. “In this case, though, I like them because I feel just a little less bad when I have to take care of them.”</p><p>	The man brought the knife just under Hinata’s chin. Hinata inhaled sharply as he felt the cold drag of metal on his skin, the slow pull of the blade sending goosebumps up and down his spine. He shivered slightly, making the man laugh in his face. His breath smelled like cigarette smoke, and Hinata noticed with wonder that even the man’s tongue was pierced.</p><p>	“You have a chance, right now, and so do all of your little friends. All we want to know is who attacked Tanaka. You hand that person over, and maybe we’ll be a little more open to negotiation. Speak now or forever hold your peace.”</p><p>	Behind the man, Hinata saw Tanaka roll up his shirt, revealing a grotesque looking wound in his abdomen. Hinata couldn’t tell if it was a gunshot or a stab wound, but either way it hadn’t quite healed the right way, leaving the abrasion looking like a welt.</p><p>	“Look, I’m telling you. I don’t know who did it,” Hinata said, not backing down from the gaze of the man before him.</p><p>	“How couldn’t you? You’re one of them, aren’t you?”</p><p>	Hinata thought hard about how to handle the question. If he allied himself with them, he would prove his loyalty to the crows. But, it would increase his likelihood of being targeted by the aggressors, and could potentially place the crows in danger if he took a misstep. But, if he denied his affiliation fully, he would not only look like a coward to the crows, but the aggressors might not spare him or believe him anyway.</p><p>	“I am. Of course I am. But I don’t know what to tell you,” Hinata said. The man glared at him a moment longer, his eyes searching Hinata’s. He chuckled softly, pulling away from Hinata and letting the knife quickly swipe against the bottom of Hinata’s jaw. Hinata let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding in. The tension in the room remained as the man stalked over to Yamaguchi, who, from what Hinata could see, was holding the same steely gaze that Hinata just had.</p><p>	“Maybe you’ll be a little more compliant with me,” the man purred. “Would you happen to know who did this?” Yamaguchi didn’t say a word, staring at the man with a stoic expression.</p><p>	“Hm. You’re just as much of a brat as the tangerine,” he noted, moving on to the seat beside Yamaguchi.</p><p>	“And you? You look quite irritated, got something to share?”</p><p>	“Yeah, actually, I do,” Kageyama said, his tone biting with rage. Hinata’s body filled with fire as he used more force than ever to flip his seat around.</p><p>	“Oh? And what’s that?” The man asked amusedly.</p><p>	“I don’t regret what I did to Tanaka. Not in the slightest.”</p><p>	“Kageyama!” A voice directly behind Hinata exclaimed.</p><p>	“I’m sorry, Sugawara,” Kageyama said duly.</p><p>	“Interesting. So, Kageyama, you admit you did that to him?” The knife man asked.</p><p>	“I do. And I admit that I don’t regret it either.”</p><p>	“Kageyama what the hell are you doing?” Hinata exclaimed, losing his patience with the situation. What the hell did Kageyama think was going to happen? What was the point of admitting his fault?</p><p>	“Shut it, dumbass. Let me handle this,” Kageyama said bitterly.</p><p>	“He really does just talk and talk and talk, doesn’t he?” the man chuckled.</p><p>	“Far more than my liking,” the blondie from earlier scoffed.</p><p>	“Hey, ginger. Can it, or you’re gonna suffer the same fate as your little friend over here.”</p><p>	“That’s not fair!” Daichi exclaimed, his voice booming throughout the room.</p><p>	“Perhaps it isn’t,” the gravelly voice said. “But we don’t need to play fair anymore, Sawamura. Now, Kageyama, you mind explaining to me why you did it?”</p><p>	“I did it because he fucked with our supply. We had a massive deal, a life-changing deal, with a bigtime customer. Your guy stole from us, holding Yachi at gunpoint, thinking he would simply get away with it. I have no issue taking care with guys like yours who think they can get away with that bullshit,” Kageyama explained, his tone stoic throughout.</p><p>	“Hm. That makes sense, I suppose. Still, I’d like to have a little fun with you. You see, you hurt Tanaka, but Tanaka didn’t hurt any of you. I’d like to propose a little deal. We hand over some of our supply, but we get to have a little fun with you in return. An eye for an eye, role reversal, you know how it is.”</p><p>	“Do what you want with me,” Kageyama said. “I can handle whatever you wanna give me.”</p><p>	“As you wish,” the man sighed.</p><p>	“Kageyama!” Daichi called out, as Hinata heard the rattling of his chair behind him. Hinata began to thrash around too, mustering all of his strength towards shifting the chair towards Kageyama. He couldn’t see him all that well, but if he could just twist the chair ever so slightly…</p><p>	Hinata tumbled to the ground with a thud, still tied to the chair but at least facing the left. His head pounded from the fall, and his vision went fuzzy as the impact probably concussed him. His arm was completely crushed between the chair and the ground, and he figured it had to have been broken. He spat out blood, but refused to let any of the pain keep him down.</p><p>	“Hinata, what are you doing?” Yamaguchi hissed, craning his neck down to where Hinata lay.</p><p>	“Don’t touch him!” Hinata called out, watching as the man placed the blade of the knife just under Kageyama’s throat, just as he’d done to Hinata.</p><p>	“Goddamn, Ukai, can you just shut him up already?” the blondie complained.</p><p>	“I don’t take orders from you. But, I’ll have to oblige you just this once,” the man growled. Hinata watched as Ukai removed the knife from Kageyama’s skin, who promptly spat towards the man’s shoes. Ukai simply laughed before walking back towards Hinata.</p><p>	“Would you rather take his place?” Ukai asked, crouching over where Hinata lay crumpled on the concrete. He chuckled as he pulled Hinata and the chair up from the ground. A trail of drool and blood spilt down Hinata’s face but the pressure on his arm let up.</p><p>	“I’d rather you don’t hurt anyone here right now,” Hinata snarled.</p><p>	“That wasn’t part of the deal, though. Weren’t you listening? We give back what we took with the promise that one of you suffers the way Tanaka did. If you volunteer yourself that just fine, I’m not picky…”</p><p>	Hinata’s eyes drilled into Ukai’s, weighing the offer. Was he willing to bear the brunt of this deal to save these people who he’d just met? Was this really what he wanted?</p><p>	“Is that what Tanaka wants?” Hinata asked, eyes diverting onto Tanaka who was still standing just behind Ukai. Tanaka’s jaw dropped, eyebrows knitted together. Had Tanaka even considered what he wanted?</p><p>	“Well? Isn’t it?” Hinata implored.</p><p>	“It’s not only wanted, it’s needed,” Ukai said, slipping the knife under Hinata’s chin, the familiar cold of the metal tickling his skin.</p><p>	“Tanaka, is this what you want?” Hinata asked again, willing his voice to remain steady as he trembled.</p><p>	“I- uh, of course. I don’t like getting p-pushed around like a little bitch, you know. Ha, you had this c-coming,” Tanaka exclaimed, his voice shaking slightly. Hinata noticed how his face had visibly paled and how his eyes darted around the room. Clearly this wasn’t something that Tanaka wanted, at least not this kind of revenge, but he couldn’t verbalize that now that they’d come so far.</p><p>	“Don’t worry, little crow,” Ukai purred, the knife beginning to dig at Hinata’s skin. “I don’t want to kill you, I just want to tear you up a bit.”</p><p>	Ukai’s eyes lit up as he put more pressure onto the handle of the knife. The tip of the blade was so small, yet so sharp, and Hinata winced as it slowly pierced the sensitive skin. He refused to cry out, refused to tear, resolving to stay strong for the others. He wouldn’t let himself be broken down so easy. He could handle a little pain, especially knowing he wouldn’t die. If anything, that made it a little enjoyable for Hinata. Knowing that he was doing the most chivalrous thing he could possibly do, knowing that he had fully inserted himself and committed himself to these people. Knowing that they owed him for this.</p><p>	“You put on so much of a show today, kid,” Ukai said, eyes glinting, “but now you wanna be quiet? How disappointing.” Ukai removed the knife from Hinata’s neck, and Hinata noticed the red splotches coating the tip. Hinata smirked at Ukai, who scowled at the younger man.</p><p>	“I’m sorry to disappoint. Now, give us what you took,” Hinata commanded, not forgetting the purpose of the event.</p><p>	“Ah, ah, ah,” Ukai said, waggling the knife with each syllable. “I’m not done with you yet.”</p><p>	“Daichi,” a timid voice called out. The voice was familiar, and after a moment, Hinata was able to place it as the voice of the gray-haired man who had latched onto Kageyama.</p><p>	“What more do you want with him?” Daichi called out, as shuffling was heard.</p><p>	“I want to be even, I thought I made that clear.”</p><p>	“Y-you already cut him up good, he’s bleeding a lot, and his arm looks awful,” Yamaguchi commented, his voice trembling softly.</p><p>	“He hurt his arm himself, so that doesn’t count,” the passenger said, piping up for the first time in a while.</p><p>	“Look, I’ll bandage him up if it makes you feel better. But I’m not done with him yet. Not until his skin is as damaged as Tanaka’s.”</p><p>	Ukai grabbed Hinata’s chin, causing him to moan slightly. The skin was sensitive, and he certainly was bleeding a significant amount. He wasn’t one to be queasy from blood, but the imagery in his mind caused him to grow faint.</p><p>	“Don’t touch him!” Kageyama yelled, the sounds of his chair rattling against the concrete.</p><p>	“What, you want some too?” Ukai teased, throwing Hinata’s face to the side. He moved back over to Kageyama, and Hinata hated that he could no longer see what was happening.</p><p>“Don’t fucking touch him,” Kageyama sneered.</p><p>“Why not? He quite literally asked for it. Unless, of course, you’d rather receive the rest of your punishment.”</p><p>“Daichi,” the gray-haired man called again. Hinata panted as he willed his chair to topple over yet again so he could see what was happening. The silence was deafening as the tension in the room was heating to a nearly suffocating temperature.</p><p>“Ukai-” Daichi warned, just as a seat clattered to the ground.</p><p>Hinata could only hear his breathing and his heartbeat in the silence that followed. For fuck’s sake, he would have given anything at all just to be able to see what was happening.</p><p>“That’s enough,” the gray-haired man commanded. He walked over to Hinata’s seat, lightly drawing Hinata’s chin upwards to survey the damage. What the hell was happening, and how had that man not only escaped his restraints, but why wasn’t anyone doing anything about it?</p><p>“You almost crossed the line, Ukai,” he said, a frown upon his face. He gently set Hinata’s face down as Kiyoko came over and began untying him. Hinata looked at her with great confusion, but she didn’t let anything up, her face stoic.</p><p>“Just doing my job, don’t get your panties in a twist,” Ukai chuckled, walking over behind Kiyoko to look at Hinata. Hinata glared at him with malice, but Ukai simply smiled upon him, arms folded as if he was watching a leisurely game of soccer.</p><p>“Jesus, Ukai, you definitely crossed a line here,” the man confirmed. Hinata assumed he was searching Kageyama, and the notion that he’d gotten a worse end of the deal than Hinata made his heart race faster than he’d ever imagined it possible.</p><p>“I’m sorry I didn’t stop him sooner, Sugawara,” Daichi said, presumably to the gray-haired man.</p><p>“Jesus, you two are scary!” the passenger exclaimed. Finally freed from his binding, Hinata swiveled in his chair, looking to his left where the majority of the people were standing over Kageyama.</p><p>“What the fuck just happened?” Hinata asked, his voice shaking under his breath.</p><p>“Like, you knew what was gonna happen and you just sat there and took it silently? Oh my god, I’d be whining like a little bitch if I was getting cut up like that,” the passenger cheered, jumping up and down.</p><p>“I didn’t get to say any of my lines,” Asahi grumbled, looking genuinely disappointed.</p><p>“Hello? What the fuck is going on?” Hinata asked, commanding his voice to be louder than the madness of the room. All eyes turned to him, staring at him expectantly, as if he was the one to explain what had just happened.</p><p>“K-kiyoko I can go get the bandages,” Tanaka said, already more than halfway out the room.</p><p>“Shoyo Hinata, apologies for the confusion. I’m Koushi Sugawara-”</p><p>“And you’re on the hit TV show, ‘What Would You Do!’” the passenger giggled.</p><p>“Hey, isn’t that John Quiñones?” Asahi asked.</p><p>“Shut it, you two,” Daichi said, turning his attention back over to Hinata and Suga.</p><p>“We’ll explain everything, but first let’s get you cleaned up. Are you in the mood for breakfast?” Suga asked, helping Hinata stand up. His legs wobbled greatly, as the exhaustion, confusion, and disorientation all set in at once. Suga slung his arm over his shoulder, and helped him walk to the door that Tanaka had just run through.</p><p>“I’m in the mood for a lot of things, but I don’t exactly think that breakfast is at the top of that list,” Hinata jeered.</p><p>“I know, I know. We’re going to explain everything soon, but we’ve got to get you cleaned up.” Suga led Hinata into a storage room, and through walls upon walls of boxes and aisles. They turned into another doorway, which turned out to be a bathroom. Shortly behind the pair was Kageyama, led by Daichi. Suga made a note to turn Hinata away from the mirrors upon their entry.</p><p>“Can I at least see the damage?” Hinata asked, weary of what was to come.</p><p>“Hinata, it’s not good. You’re better off just not seeing it,” Daichi said, looking to Suga who had a look of pure disdain on his face.</p><p>“Agreed,” Suga said, nodding somberly.</p><p>Hinata looked to Kageyama as a last resort, who’s face had already been patched up slightly. Hinata felt left out. He was pissed, no, livid. How were they going to kidnap him, attempt to torture him, and then refuse to let him see his own injuries because they might be too much? Did they really think so lowly of him? </p><p>Hinata saw the hesitation on Suga’s face. The grip still remained on his good shoulder, but Hinata could tell that if he resisted even a little bit Suga wouldn’t fight him back. Hinata looked at Suga, rage filling his vision. Sugawara was a nice man, sure, but there was nothing nice about the moment, and Hinata wasn’t in the mood for any kind of formalities.</p><p>Hinata turned around to face the mirror, and the sight that met him was certainly ugly. Blood leaking from under his jaw, the side of his face puffy, his eyes wide with terror. His face was an ugly green color, and looking at his condition wasn’t exactly helping him stabilize himself.</p><p>Hinata felt the world shake under his feet as his eyes seemed to blind themselves from what he was seeing. He was just so tired, he felt weightless, yet so heavy. He hated the way his face looked right then, and maybe if he just closed his eyes, just for a moment…</p><p>And then the world went black and Shoyo Hinata didn’t have to stare at his bruised face anymore.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. A Whole New World</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Koushi Sugawara wasn’t a pushover, but he was filled with more pity now that he probably had been in his entire life. Daichi had made Hinata out to be some criminal mastermind without fear or hesitation. One with no mortal fear or fucks to give. Suga knew better now, as the man- who was probably barely even a man- lay crumpled in his arms.</p>
<p>	Hinata had looked at himself in the mirror and fell apart instantly. Suga couldn’t blame him, of course, it took nearly all of his strength to look at Hinata too. Not because of the gore, but rather it was knowing that he was backhandedly responsible for Hinata’s condition. Shit, Suga really hated getting violent.</p>
<p>	If nothing else though, Suga was proud that his plan had worked, and for the better. Hinata had more than proven himself as a crow, and the execution itself hadn’t been too rough either. Of course, that was despite the fact that the entire storyline that Suga had concocted barely turned out, and the fact that Kageyama also got injured. Minor details.</p>
<p>	Daichi worked to finish patching up Kageyama’s jaw as Suga lay Hinata gently on the floor, leaning his back against a stall door. He looked at the smaller man pitifully. He probably hadn’t slept any, probably hadn’t eaten anything, and generally probably just felt traumatized. Suga couldn’t be mad at the crows, though, for what they’d done. It had to be done, after all, Hinata had instigated everything in the first place. Still, Suga’s heartstrings pulled as he began to clean Hinata up.</p>
<p>	“You weren’t kidding when you said he was eager,” Suga said softly.</p>
<p>	“Yeah… he’s a ball of fire, that’s for sure,” Daichi confirmed, placing the last bandage on Kageyama’s jaw. “I’m gonna have a word with Ukai about all of this, don’t worry.”</p>
<p>	Suga nodded mournfully. The plan was of course to threaten Hinata, and even throw a little bit of danger at him. However, the plan wasn’t to keep going on with it, especially with another crow. Ukai had taken things just a step too far, and it couldn’t be ignored. Though, if Suga knew the man at all, he’d simply laugh it off and clap him on the back, saying how happy he was that he’d played his part convincingly. Ukai always meant well, but he got carried away when it came to his job.</p>
<p>	“That dumbass… he hurt himself more than Ukai did by toppling himself over like that,” Kageyama scoffed, eyeing Hinata’s limp form. Suga saw something flicker behind Kageyama’s eyes, just barely recognizable. Suga knew Kageyama was a tough nut, but he also knew that deep down, Kageyama just wanted to be a part of something. His guard was so strong, though, and he’d yet to figure out a way to break it down. But watching Kageyama stare at Hinata with such… care in his eyes. Perhaps this firecracker of a man was something really special.</p>
<p>	“That was quite stupid on his part,” Daichi chuckled. “But hey, props to him for being committed to it. Suga, I’d check out that arm of his. And probably his head. He didn’t take that fall so lightly.”</p>
<p>	Suga nodded as Daichi placed a hand on his shoulder. “Kageyama, head out to the others and tell them we’ll be out as soon as Hinata wakes up.” Kageyama nodded, leaving the room without a word more.</p>
<p>	“Are you okay, Suga?” Daichi asked, squatting down to Suga’s eye level.</p>
<p>	“I suppose,” Suga sighed heavily. He had finished cleaning Hinata’s chin and was beginning to bandage the skin. “I really hate how good we are at improv. We should have started our own theatre company instead of joining this gang.”</p>
<p>	Daichi laughed heartily. “Can you imagine? Tsukishima prancing around on a stage singing a show tune. Damn, maybe you’re right about that.” Suga smiled at Daichi’s laugh. It always made him heart flutter, hearing that deep melody.</p>
<p>	“What are we gonna do?” Suga asked. They hadn’t gotten a new member since Kageyama, but even then, they’d known Kageyama because of his sister. He wasn’t a complete stranger like Hinata was, and they weren’t sure how to discern if he was really worth the trouble. </p>
<p>	“He’s a good guy. I think. Personally, I think we should take him in. Obviously he owes us for the trouble in the first place, but I think he’s got the spirit. The will. He’s got what it takes and I don’t want anyone else to figure that out too.” Daichi looked thoughtfully at the young man, who was still peacefully sitting on the ground as Suga finished bandaging his jaw.</p>
<p>	“I agree. There’s something about him… a sort of persistence… he reminds me of Noya,” Suga noted. Daichi nodded in agreement.</p>
<p>	“He jumped to our defense so quickly. Not even knowing what was happening, he took the fall for something that he didn’t even know happened. That’s commitment unlike anything I’ve seen before.”</p>
<p>	“He’s got no mortal fear, apparently. He and Yachi would be good friends.”</p>
<p>	Just then, Hinata began to stir, his eyes squeezing shut as he brought an arm to his forehead. He took a long, deep breath, as he stretched himself out. He winced as he rolled his shoulder, and Suga placed an arm gently on it, directing it back down to his side. Hinata’s eyes opened softly, an inquisitive stare meeting Suga’s kind gaze. Hinata appeared to be confused, as he looked around the room unsure of where he was, or what was going on.</p>
<p>	“Your arm is a bit messed up,” Suga said softly. “I’m gonna take a look at it and see if the damage is bad.”</p>
<p>	“W-where am I?” Hinata asked. Daichi looked to Suga, his eyes wide with fear.</p>
<p>	“You’re with us, Hinata. Do you remember our names? Do you remember what happened before you passed out?” Daichi asked with uncertainty. Hinata’s face scrunched as he tried to recall the events that had taken place. Recognition washed over his face after only a moment, and emotions clouded his vision.</p>
<p>	“Yeah, yeah I do. I remember being baited into getting myself beat up by our own guys. Thanks a lot for that. I guess.”</p>
<p>	“Apologies, Hinata,” Daichi said as Suga began to massage Hinata’s arm and shoulder. He winced slightly as Suga did so, which Suga expected, but still was slightly alarmed. “We needed to test you. The safest way to do so was with our own people in our own facilities. You could have much worse injuries if we’d taken you out on an actual job. Not to mention, most of the injuries you have are your own fault.”</p>
<p>	Hinata scowled at Daichi. “Tell that to the gash on my chin. I coulda bled out and died.”</p>
<p>	“You wouldn’t have bled out or died,” Suga said, glaring at Daichi as well. Riling Hinata up while he was in such a distressed state was an awful idea. “We wouldn’t have let you. Between us three, you’re really something.”</p>
<p>	Hinata wrinkled an eyebrow at Suga. “Seriously. I knew you were something special last night at your apartment. The way you handle situations that would stress any normal person out… it’s admirable to say the least. You’re unpredictable in a reliable way, if that makes sense. I want you on our team, if only because I’m terrified of the thought of you on anyone else's,” Daichi said. </p>
<p>Suga watched as Hinata’s eyes seemed to light. His eyes were a bright amber, and they seemed to catch on fire as the passion of the moment ignited Hinata.</p>
<p>“I want nothing more than to be on this team,” Hinata said, a calm but serious note in his voice. It was much different than the rambunctious teasing and the panicked determination. It was raw confidence, and Hinata pulled it off wonderfully.</p>
<p>Suga stood from his crouched position, holding his hand out for Hinata to grab. He took it gratefully, pulling himself off the tile floor. He wobbled lightly, and blinked several times before standing upright fully. </p>
<p>“We’ve got breakfast in the other room if you’re up for it,” Suga said, leading the way towards the door which Daichi was opening in a chivalrous manner.</p>
<p>“I’m absolutely up for it. I could eat for a family of eight right now,” Hinata groaned, placing a hand on his stomach. Daichi laughed amiably as the three exited the bathroom.</p>
<p>Daichi led the group as they walked back into the makeshift interrogation room. There, Suga smiled upon the crows who were conversing casually amongst themselves. Their heads turned quickly, meeting the new arrivals. Before Suga could get a word out, Nishinoya ran up to the group, more specifically Hinata.</p>
<p>“Dude. You’re like… really fuckin’ cool. You know that? I’m Yuu Nishinoya, by the way. And sorry about the car ride- no, no the whole thing. But you were cool about it. Like, hella.”</p>
<p>Hinata stared amusedly at the smaller man, the beginnings of a smile crawling across his face. “You were in the car with me, weren’t you?” Hinata asked.</p>
<p>“That I was! With Tsukishima, over there,” Noya said, pointing at the tall blonde man conversing with Yamaguchi and Yachi. “Sorry about him by the way. He’s got a stick up his ass all the time.” Hinata laughed at Nishinoya’s comment, and Suga looked at Daichi with pride. Hinata was already a great fit, and he was so proud of the crows for making him feel at home.</p>
<p>“Hinata, we’d like to formally introduce you to our group. If you’re gonna be working with us, it’s only fair that you’d know what you’re fighting for,” Daichi said, leading Hinata towards the buffet table. Suga watched the pair walk away, taking note of the stares they got as they passed.</p>
<p>	“He’s really something, dude,” Noya said, watching with the same starry look in his eyes. Suga couldn’t verbalize the feeling, and simply nodded in agreement. He watched as Hinata grabbed a plate and began to scoop food, chatting amiably with Daichi as though the entire situation was normal. He could tell Hinata was tired, a watered down version of the person he probably normally was, but still his smile was bright and full of energy. </p>
<p>	Hinata seemed to be such a good man. There just had to be a catch, right? It’s not every day that you find a random con on the street and he’s completely independent and willing to work for your team. It was too good to be true, yet, here it was unfolding in front of their eyes. </p>
<p>	“Everyone! Please introduce yourselves. We will head back to Karasuno within the next two hours,” Suga announced to the group. It was a celebratory moment, but they still had work to do.</p>
<p>	Suga walked over to Daichi and Hinata, standing guard with them, making sure that no one teased Hinata or started trouble. Hinata, who had already scarfed down the majority of his plate, was chatting amiably with Daichi. That was until Tsukishima and Yamaguchi came over.</p>
<p>	“Hinata! I’m so so sorry about all that,” Yamaguchi apologized venerately. Hinata’s mouth was filled to the brim with his breakfast, but he still managed to garble a response. “I have someone here you gotta meet. Kei Tsukishima, this is Shoyo Hinata!” </p>
<p>	Suga carefully measured Kei’s stoic stare. It wasn’t threatening, at least, but the man’s eyes seemed to bore into Hinata with a sort of possessiveness that he’d never seen before. Hinata didn’t seem to take notice, as he bowed slightly and mumbled a greeting around his still full mouth.</p>
<p>“Apologies for the theatrics, but we didn’t put on half the show that you did today,” Kei snorted to himself. There was a hint of malice behind his voice, and Suga caught Yamaguchi elbowing him slightly in a feeble attempt to keep him in line. Still, Hinata remained oblivious as he giggled.</p>
<p>“Not my fault you guys were convincing!”</p>
<p>“You did well, Hinata!” Yamaguchi praised him, eyes alight with pride. </p>
<p>“Tadashi, Yachi wants to see you,” Tsukishima said, pointing towards the small girl. She was flailing her arms waving towards the pair.</p>
<p>“Ah, I suppose I should go. I’ll see you around, Hinata!” Yamaguchi said, waving his hand in farewell. Tsukishima said nothing, but followed Yamaguchi anyway.</p>
<p>“They seem nice!” Hinata said, scarfing down another bite. Suga nodded in agreement, wondering if that was what was truly going through Hinata’s head. Tsukki wasn’t known for being the warmest of the bunch, and there simply was no way that Hinata hadn’t noticed the cold energy that he’d radiated during their encounter.</p>
<p>The crows came and went, exchanging pleasantries. Hinata had gotten to know much of the group by the time that their breakfast session was over. Hinata had smiled brightly, greeting each crow with warm conversation and laughter. The crows generally responded back the same, though Suga could sense apprehension in some of them. He couldn’t blame them, though, as getting a new member didn’t happen often, and quite frankly, this member in particular felt like a ticking time bomb.</p>
<p>Suga also noticed Kageyama, who hadn’t made the effort to come over and speak with them yet. He remained on his own for the majority of the morning, stealing furtive glances at the new man. His eyes would flicker over to Hinata only to flicker away shortly after. Still, he made no move towards him. Suga didn’t sense any malice in this, perhaps just hesitation. He made his move over to Kageyama anyway.</p>
<p>“How do you feel about this?” Suga asked, carefully prodding Kageyama to open up about his experiences with Hinata.</p>
<p>“It’s strange,” was all Kageyama had to say in response. Suga nodded, following Kageyama’s gaze back over to the tangerine man. Hinata was chatting amiably with Tanaka and Noya, who, not surprisingly, had taken to Hinata quickly. “I don’t know what to think.”</p>
<p>“You should go talk to him,” Suga said, willing to completely disregard any tactfulness he could have used.</p>
<p>“W-why?” Kageyama scoffed. He looked almost offended at the proposition.</p>
<p>“You’re his biggest ally here, Kageyama,” Suga said bluntly. “He knows you better than the rest of us. Not to say that you’ve got to babysit him, or anything like that. But if he knows that you’re on his side the same way that Noya and Tanaka are, the same way that Yamaguchi and Yachi are, I think that’ll be the icing on the cake for him.” Kageyama took Suga’s words in, and Suga watched as Kageyama processed them.</p>
<p>What a thick skull that boy has, Suga thought to himself. So oblivious to the obvious.</p>
<p>“What are we gonna have him do?” Kageyama asked, gracefully steering the subject away from before.</p>
<p>“Not sure,” Suga said simply. They hadn’t considered much into the future; after all, it was uncertain that Hinata would even cross this checkpoint. “Though I think he’d be a good decoy.”</p>
<p>“Decoy?”</p>
<p>“Tsukki said it best; Hinata put on a good show. If,somehow, we could use that to our benefit to screw with a rival, he could be a wonderful distraction, and a wonderful source of intel.”</p>
<p>“You’re suggesting that we use him the way we worried he was being used against us?”</p>
<p>“Right on.”</p>
<p>And it was a smart idea. Hinata was without a filter, that much was proven true. If they could harness the unpredictability of his words and actions, if they could somehow train him and set him free in this arena, they could easily manipulate any target they set their eyes on. With all eyes on Hinata, whether for good or bad, it opened pathways for the other crows to sweep in and get their jobs done.</p>
<p>But of course, that’s if Hinata could put on a good show while actually having the whole truth. That they’d have to test, eventually.</p>
<p>Suga noticed out of the corner of his eye as Ukai entered the room for the first time. Suga nodded in goodbye to Kageyama, who simply reverted his gaze back onto Hinata. Suga walked towards Ukai, who was nonchalantly lighting yet another cigarette. This man was going to die such a cliche death.</p>
<p>Keishin Ukai: Chain Smoked At The Ripe Age Of 36.</p>
<p>“Hey there, kid!” Ukai greeted, smiling around the cig.</p>
<p>“Ah ah, no formalities this morning, Ukai. We gotta talk about the way you handled this.” Ukai frowned, the cig drooping with his lips.</p>
<p>“Oh c’mon, it wasn’t that bad, was it?! You gotta admit I was convincing as hell.”</p>
<p>“Yes, Ukai, you were. Because you stabbed the boy.”</p>
<p>“Oh- psh, I didn’t stab him… I teased him with the tip of the blade. The tip! The tip never hurt nobody.”</p>
<p>Suga reached over, pulling the cig out of Ukai’s mouth and let it drop to the ground, where he promptly stepped on it, setting it out. Ukai whimpered like a puppy who just got put in a crate.</p>
<p>“Suga! You’re so damn rude to me. You know I’ll just get another out, right?”</p>
<p>“You know I’ll just cut that ratty ass bleached hair of yours if you do, right?” Suga retorted. Ukai chuckled, but still, he didn’t reach for another cigarette. Suga had made himself very clear that Ukai’s hair did not reek the amount of professionalism not brute-energy that usually came with being in a gang. Not that they were made to fit a status quo, because gangs weren’t about who looks the scariest or richest. But Ukai definitely looked greasy, like the owner of a corner store and not the owner of one of the fastest growing crime hubs in the area.</p>
<p>Suga would have to ask Hinata what his first impression of Ukai was. He prayed silently that it was bad so he could then rub it in Ukai’s face.</p>
<p>“So what, you’re mad at me because I gave the boy a little scratch. He’s good though, huh?”</p>
<p>“Yes, he’s fine. Don’t do that shit ever again though.” Ukai’s eye roll did not go unnoticed, but Suga knew that he would take his words into consideration. “Besides that, what did you think of him?”</p>
<p>	“Of shrimpy? I quite like him. He’s got that fire, that drive that I love to see. And it looks like he meshes really well with everyone. I think he’s just that final piece that we’ve been looking for.”</p>
<p>	“Me too,” Suga agreed. If they wanted to compete with bigger, better gangs, they needed to have the power to do so. Shoyo Hinata had proven, just within the past 14 hours or so, that he might be the secret weapon that the crows were looking for. </p>
<p>	“Wanna make it official?” Ukai asked, smiling sly at Suga. Suga, unable to control himself, returned the smirk.</p>
<p>	“Is Daichi on board with it?” Suga asked. As much as it was up to Ukai, Daichi was recognized to be the leader as well, and Suga wouldn’t stand for such a large decision being made final without his approval.</p>
<p>	“Spoke with him earlier. He’s more than onboard, even before this morning’s stunt.” Suga looked over and caught Daichi’s eye. Seeming to read his mind, Daichi nodded, his lips curling into an uncontrollable smile. Suga watched as Daichi took Hinata by the shoulder, directing him over to where Ukai and Suga were standing. The pair made their way over just as Hinata was scarfing down the last bite of his third plate.</p>
<p>	“Shoyo Hinata, eh?” Ukai said, tilting his head to the side to blow a puff of smoke. Hinata nodded quickly, his face reddening. He clearly hadn’t quite warmed up to Ukai yet, and rightfully so. “I want to ask you something, and you gotta be honest with me.”</p>
<p>	“Of course,” Hinata said. </p>
<p>	“Why do you want to do this so badly?”</p>
<p>	Hinata’s face didn’t show any change of emotion at the blunt question. Hinata had this perpetual look of sincerity on his face; it was confusing but alluring all at the same time. He looked so sure of himself, so sure of his words, as though he could never think of a reason to ever say something that he didn’t wholly believe. Suga couldn’t imagine that Hinata had lied thus far, and he didn’t think Hinata would have any reason to start now.</p>
<p>	“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked, just as blunt in return. The question was rhetorical, but still, Ukai’s usually stoic facade seemed to shift slightly. “I’m a barista. At a corner cafe in Tokyo. I don’t want to do that my whole life, obviously-”</p>
<p>	“Hey, don’t talk down on the corner store gig,” Ukai interrupted. “It’s highly demanding and we carry society on our backs, twenty four hours a day.”</p>
<p>	Suga looked down to Hinata, who had written confusion on his face. “Ukai owns a corner store. Actually, that’s where we are right now. The backrooms of his corner store.”</p>
<p>	“Ah, that explains breakfast. Apologies,” Hinata said, withering embarrassment on his face.</p>
<p>	“Don’t worry about it kid,” Ukai returned around a smirk.</p>
<p>	“My point is, I’m stuck. I’m new to the area, I already hate my job, I don’t know anyone, and I don’t know where to go from here. I have bad habits, that led me here, and I just feel like this is where I’m supposed to be now. I never would have sought this out, nor would I ever picture myself making my bad habits my reality. But I’m here now, and I’d pick this, no matter the danger or uncertainty, over the mundanity that I have now. I don’t trust people easily, but you don’t trust me either. That makes this all the more interesting, I think.”</p>
<p>	Suga repressed a smile. He was a sucker for the divine, and he couldn’t help but think to himself just how fated this entire situation was. His eyes flitted over to Kageyama again, who was staring intently at the conversation from across the room. His eyes met Suga’s and he quickly averted his gaze with a light crimson blush rising to his cheeks.</p>
<p>	Fated.</p>
<p>	“Your interest may only be casual, but your commitment isn’t. It can’t be. This isn’t a job, it’s a life. Once you’re in, you can never really be out. You can’t wake up one day and decide you’re bored, or decide it’s all just too much for you. You’re in for good,” Ukai said, glaring into Hinata’s amber eyes. The intimidation tactic didn’t seem to work, as Hinata returned the glare with a soft chuckle.</p>
<p>	“I want in.” That simple phrase. Hinata had nothing left to say except for those three words. His eyes seemed to glow with the power of those three words, the force and determination behind them. </p>
<p>	“You want in? You got in,” Daichi said, clapping his hand on Hinata’s shoulder. HInata cast his gaze up to Daichi, who was smiling down upon him with pride. Suga smiled with them, and even Ukai let his face twist into a smirk. </p>
<p>	“Everyone!” Daichi called, commanding the attention of the room. The crows quieted down, turning towards the group.</p>
<p>	“We now have the honor of officially confirming Shoyo Hinata as the newest member of the Karasuno Crows.” The room smiled, and a few hoots came from Tanaka and Noya, who clearly were rooting for Hinata to join. Hinata beamed as waved at them. Suga noticed Tsukishima, who seemed to be the only person without a reaction to the news. That was, of course, with Kageyama, whose face showed no emotion.</p>
<p>	“Now, we’re going to head back to Karasuno. We’ve got work to do today. I want you all to make Hinata welcome, and treat him as you would each other. Of course, he’s one of us now. I expect you all to treat him as though he’s been here forever.” The crows nodded to the statement, an informal agreement to assure that Hinata would be treated as one of them.</p>
<p>	Sugawara loved nothing more than knowing just how familial the group was. He loved the respect they shared for one another, he loved the loyalty, the friendship, the comfort. He loved seeing how they were willing to take another under their wings without question. He loved how they trusted Daichi and Ukai to make decisions, and he loved how Daichi and Ukai let the crows help with the important ones. </p>
<p>	He watched as Kiyoko, Yachi, and Yamaguchi helped clean up the remains of the meal. He watched as Noya and Tanaka sprang onto Hinata, ruffling his hair and teasing him. He watched Ennoshita and Asahi trying to round up the rowdy crows, to no avail. He watched as Tsukishima left the room, probably to get the cars heated up before the group would even make it outside. It didn’t slip his notice that Kageyama had given a curt nod to Hinata either, before following Tsukishima out the back door. He watched the room and everyone in it, his heart swelling with affection for each and every one of the people before him.</p>
<p>	Sugawara wasn’t a pushover, but he had never been filled with more pride to be a crow in his entire life.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi y'all! School and work have been kicking my ass lately, sorry for the delayed updates. I promise the next one will be out in a few days. I hope you all liked the introductory chapters, because starting with the next one, it's going down ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Tea Party</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Two weeks had passed since Shoyo Hinata had officially become a crow, and quite honestly, it hadn’t felt like much had changed. He still worked at the cafe, still lived in his apartment, and was still adjusting to the city life. The only telltale difference in his life was the fact that every night, Tobio Kageyama picked him up and together they would drive out to Karasuno High School for meetings with the group.</p><p>	Hinata looked forward to those nights, but he looked forward to the drives too. Kageyama had a nice car, and it smelled expensive, and clean. The pair would sit comfortably in the silence, with only the rearing engine purring in the background. Occasionally they would share idle conversation, but mostly they just drove. Hinata liked being with Kageyama, despite the man’s questionably hostile air. Hinata didn’t honestly think that Kageyama disliked him, though, and the idea that Kageyama had to try extra hard to keep up his guard for Hinata was thrilling.</p><p>	Hinata knew that being a crow meant they all played on the same team, but that didn’t change his ultimate goal: to break Kageyama’s steely guard down.</p><p>	It was a particularly cold day in December, and Hinata was especially looking forward to his next meeting with the crows. He’d been training with Daichi and Suga, learning the ins and outs of the crows’ relations with neighboring gangs. They worked together to explain what exactly the crows did, and who had what responsibilities within the group. </p><p>Most importantly, they had made it clear to him that he wasn’t going to have any major responsibilities so early on. Of course, Hinata had begged and pleaded to be given a role, any role at all, as long as they would make use of him. Surprisingly, Daichi had first proposed the idea, suggesting that Hinata had learned enough about the flow of power both within and without, and that sending him out on his first real deal would help him learn more than the crows could ever teach him. Hinata was in complete agreement.</p><p>“I won’t get in the way, I swear. I’ll just sit back and watch. I won’t say a word and I won’t move a muscle if that’s what it takes. I just want to be a part of the action!”</p><p>“Understandable, but-”</p><p>“But nothing! I promise I can handle this, Daichi, I promise you I can. I want to really be a crow.”</p><p>Suga and Daichi had put a lot of thought into it, deliberating which job Hinata would be best to tag along for. Once they had come to the conclusion, they let Hinata know.</p><p>“You’ll tag along with Nishinoya and Asahi to their deal with Dateko,” Daichi had said. Hinata’s eyes widened and he could feel his chest explode with a fire that was unbeknownst to him.</p><p>“THE IRON WALL?” he exclaimed. He leapt up from his seat, pumping the air with his fists. Suga bit back a laugh, but Daichi’s face had remained serious.</p><p>“This is a very serious deal for those two, do you understand?” Hinata did understand, as Daichi had previously explained the intricate past between the pair and Dateko. This deal would redeem the crows, and it was imperative that it didn’t go south.</p><p>“Of course I understand, that’s why I’m thrilled I get to be there!”</p><p>“That’s exactly why I’m apprehensive for you to go, Hinata,” Daichi had grumbled. “I know you’re over excited and I don’t need you to screw this up for them.”</p><p>“I won’t! I’ll sit idly by and watch our boys rise from the ashes! Kings again! I’ll support them silently and I won’t move a muscle!” Hinata had been wildly waving his arms, dramatically acting out his heroic vision.</p><p>And so, as Hinata was busing tables and fixing coffee, willing his shift to come to an easy end, his nerves flitted about thinking about the night that lay ahead of him. What would he wear? What would he say to Noya and Asahi on the way there? Would they want him to wait in the car? Would they want him to speak up there? Hinata’s fingers were shaking with anticipation, his heart stuttering in his chest. Butterflies flew in his stomach as though they were mixed up in a hurricane.</p><p>“You alright, Hinata?” His coworker Koganegawa called out to him. Hinata must have been visibly agitated, at least, more than he thought.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m good!” he called back, shooting the man a bright smile. It was true, he was better than he’d ever been.</p><p>After closing, he and Koganegawa sat at a table with the coffees that they had fixed for themselves. Hinata usually made himself a drink that was equivalent to a candy shop, but he wanted a surefire boost of energy and settled for a shot of espresso. He’d never tried it before, but apparently it was really good for getting your energy back. Kogane, on the other hand, settled for his usual matcha latte.</p><p>“Usually I hate closing, but I always forget how worth it the drinks are after,” Kogane noted, sipping his latte. Hinata nodded in agreement.</p><p>“Me too. But I also hate opening. It’s way too early to deal with people ordering their fancy mocha-frappe-caramel-coconut-soy-extra-whip-coffees,” Hinata said, scrunching his nose at the thought. Kogane laughed at the expression.</p><p>“Don’t tease, you know that’s your usual order.”</p><p>“Yeah, but I only like to make it for me! I’m the only one who deserves it.”</p><p>“What’s up with tonight then?” Kogane asked, nodding his head towards Hinata’s shot. “Not deserving of a diabetes-inducing drink tonight?”</p><p>Hinata scoffed with mock offense. “Psh, absolutely not. I always deserve a fair shot at a sugar coma. I’ve got plans that will probably run late tonight, though, and I need that extra boost, yknow?”</p><p>“Hinata, you’ve been bouncing off the walls all day today, I’m pretty sure if you have anymore you’ll spontaneously combust.”</p><p>“I’m actually quite tired, mind you,” Hinata said, lifting the cup to his lips. The liquid was warm, and the smell of it alone sparked his senses awake. He took a tentative sip, and without restraint, his face contorted into an ugly grimace.</p><p>Good lord, who drinks that shit? It was so bitter and raw, it felt similar to vodka as it scraped down his throat. He coughed slightly at the sensation, glaring at Koganegawa, who was laughing so hard that he was grasping at his stomach.</p><p>“S-shit, that’s strong,” Hinata choked.</p><p>“Dude, it’s basically raw caffeine! What did you expect?”</p><p>“I don’t know… something much less… violent… than that…”</p><p>“I think you’re getting too used to those fancy little syrups of yours.”</p><p>“Hey! You gotta admit it’s good,” Hinata pouted. He recalled the night that he’d made a cup of it for Kogane, and how after drinking the whole thing, he’d barely gotten through the dishes without collapsing from the shakes. It was a little scary at the moment, but looking back on it, it was hilarious what a deadly amount of sugar could do to such a tall and stocky man.</p><p>Hinata downed the rest of his shot in one brutal gulp. He squeezed his eyes shut as he processed it, wilfully ignoring Kogane’s giggle as he did so.</p><p>He’d only been working with Kogane for about three weeks, but still, the two had formed an amiable bond over the late night coffee talks. He was the closest thing Hinata had been able to call a friend, excluding the crows.</p><p>The two cleaned up shop, saying their parting goodbyes before heading their separate ways.</p><p>Hinata was practically skipping home. His veins were buzzing with adrenaline and caffeine, and his mind was racing faster than his feet dared to carry him. He felt weightless as he went, speeding past late night pedestrians and glowing signs. His breath fogged in the air around him as his fingers dug into his coat pocket. There was a small hole at the bottom of the left pocket that irritated Hinata to no end. However, if things went well starting tonight, it was possible that Hinata would start bringing in money from jobs that they would likely send him on.</p><p>As Hinata walked, his eyes were drawn to the colors of the downtown region of the city. Being from such a small town, he still found the sights of the city alluring, with its tall buildings, lighting signs, and bustle. Even on a weeknight like tonight, there was an energy that you just wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else. The city was growing on him everyday he was there.</p><p>Upon reaching his apartment, he buzzed past the receptionist, giving her a curt nod and small wave before bounding up the steps, taking them nearly three at a time. Shakily, he opened the door to his apartment, fingers frozen and jittery, He shut the door quickly and shimmied out of his coat.</p><p>He only had about thirty minutes before Kageyama would come pounding at his door. That was the funny thing about Kageyama, is he never just shot a text to Hinata, saying, “I’m out front,” or, “here,” or even “you’re late, dumbass.” He always came to the door, knocking in that three tap way that Daichi had said was custom between the crows.</p><p>He haphazardly took off his work uniform, jumping into the scalding hot shower he often prepared for himself. He let the water ease his growing nerves, allowing it to wash away any questions or doubts. This wasn’t his night to handle anything, he was simply there to observe. Nothing to be nervous about.</p><p>Except for the crows’ reputation with Dateko going forward. But, alas, it was out of his hands. He would do anything possible to help Noya and Asahi, of course, but even if that something was as simple as a word of encouragement, he’d be glad to give that and nothing more.</p><p>He quickly got out of the shower, wrapping himself in a towel and scrambled to the kitchen to heat up last night’s leftovers. As he sat down to eat, however, he found that he wasn’t hungry at all. He tried to eat at least a little bit, though, knowing that if he refused to eat now, he’d regret being born later.</p><p>That, and it wasn’t very intimidating to be in a debate with someone who’s stomach was being louder than the person.</p><p>After a few attempts, though, Hinata finally succumbed to his stomach, refusing to finish the last of his meal, and pitched it without looking back. With ten minutes to spare, Hinata went to get dressed.</p><p>Shit, what were you supposed to wear on your first deal anyway?</p><p>He picked through his limited wardrobe, throwing sweatshirts, t-shirts, hoodies, and cardigans all over the floor. What gave off the vibe, “I’m stronger and far more dangerous than you,” while also saying “I’m nonchalant and you don’t threaten me?” All of Hinata’s clothes screamed, “I’m an underpaid barista without the privilege of picking clothes for the ‘vibe.’”</p><p>Just as if God was spiting him, he heard the telltale three knock rhythm at his door. He ran to the door, opening it in a hurry, ushering Kageyama inside. Kageyama, who was not expecting Hinata to be standing half naked at the door, stood frozen still in his tracks, eyes widened and gaze averted.</p><p>“Kageyama, help me pick out an outfit!” Hinata pleaded, taking Kageyama by the arm and pulling him into the apartment, shutting the door sharply behind him.</p><p>“D-dumbass what are you doing walking around like that?” Kageyama barked.</p><p>“It’s my apartment. I can walk around however I want.” Hinata led Kageyama into his bedroom, though not very far, as the floor was littered with Hinata’s rejected wardrobe.</p><p>“Damn, you’re thinking way too hard about this,” Kageyama scoffed, staring down dejectedly at the pile.</p><p>“It’s a big deal! I don’t wanna be the odd one out by looking stupid.”</p><p>“You already will be the odd one out, you’re small as hell.”</p><p> </p><p>“Fuck off, Kageyama. That’s not even a good insult because Noya’s gonna be there and he’s way shorter than me,” Hinata noted.</p><p>“Don’t you have slacks and a button-down?” Kageyama asked, squatting to the ground to gingerly pick at the clothes.</p><p>“I have a button-down, but I wore it for work just now and it’s got coffee stains on it.” Hinata inwardly kicked himself for being so shaky during his shift.</p><p>“A sweater, maybe? A plain black sweater?” Kageyama offered.</p><p>“Ah, yeah I do, somewhere…” Hinata said, pulling out a new pile of clothes from his dresser. He splayed out the pile before him, with no rhyme or reason, and began to sift through the new additions.</p><p>“You’re never going to find anything if you do it so unorganized,” Kageyama said, nodding to the ever-growing blackhole on the floor between them.</p><p>“I’m sorry, we’re a little short on time. If you’d rather I meticulously fold each and every article of clothing, I can-”</p><p>Kageyama shifted around the pile, sitting close to Hinata and moving the warzone over in front of him. Hinata watched in silence as Kageyama began to fold the rejected shirts and pants into piles. He stared at Kageyama for a few notable moments, watching as the taller man quickly, and effortlessly organized the mess into clean and organized sections.</p><p>“What are you staring at? Find your outfit,” he said, upon noticing Hinata’s unwavering gaze. Hinata shook himself back to reality, now handing each unqualified item to Kageyama, who folded it back into pristine condition. Together, the duo picked through Hinata’s closet, deliberating on what would be best to wear.</p><p>They settled on a gray sweater, layering it over a black collared shirt, and black slacks. Hinata offered to wear his work shoes, but the shoes were clearly beaten up from his job, and Kageyama scowled at the mere proposition of him wearing them.</p><p>“I’ve got spare shoes in my car, just wear those,” he’d said, turning away from Hinata, who had suddenly dropped his towel to quickly change.</p><p>“Your feet are so much bigger than mine though! Oh my god, how am I supposed to wear those?”</p><p>“I don’t know, stuff them, I guess,” Kageyama huffed, tapping his wrist-watch. “You’ve got thirty seconds before I leave you here.”</p><p>Before Kageyama could even put his hand on the door handle, Hinata blew past him, shouting “I’M READY,” and yanking the door opening, sprinting down the hall.</p><p>“DUMBASS!” Kageyama hollered. He doesn’t even have slippers on, he thought. Hinata’s feet would freeze as soon as they hit the frozen ground outside.</p><p>But, Hinata ran on anyway. He recognized the stinging of his numb feet as they pelted the ground, but they were already behind schedule, and he didn’t want to waste anymore time. Hinata had been jiggling at the car door for at least twenty seconds before Kageyama arrived to unlock the door for him.</p><p>“Don’t do that,” he’d warned, referring to Hinata’s abuse of the handle.</p><p>“Sorry,” Hinata mumbled, settling in against the plush leather seat. Kageyama started the car, allowing the heat to pump through the vehicle. He then reached around behind the seat and pulled out a large pair of dress shoes, so clean and unworn that Hinata suspected that they really never had been before.</p><p>“These are for you,” Kageyama said, setting them in Hinata’s lap before returning his focus to pulling away from the curb.</p><p>“Thank you,” Hinata said. “I’ll make sure to keep them nice. And I’ll give them back to you as soon as we get back.”</p><p>“Don’t worry about it.” It was a simple four words, but they were so kind. Hinata’s eyes widened, and his head jerked so that he could look at Kageyama as he drove.</p><p>“I’m not keeping them,” Hinata said tentatively.</p><p>“It’s not like you have any. Besides, if you keep them I won’t have to deal with you asking to borrow them every time you go out.” Hinata noticed a slight waver in Kageyama’s voice, but Hinata sneered anyway at the backhanded act of kindness. Really, he did appreciate the thought, but he still felt bad leeching off of Kageyama in that way. He hated being dependent.</p><p>“Fine. But I’m going to buy you a nicer pair when I get the chance,” Hinata resolved. Kageyama scoffed, but said nothing in response. Hinata focused on sliding his frozen feet into the shoes. His socks weren’t nearly thick enough to protect him from the biting winter chill. </p><p>With the shoes on, Hinata figured there was at least two solid inches of wiggle room left in them. So much so, that he looked as though he was wearing clown shoes; he would have felt better wearing his work shoes. Of course, it was much too late for that now, as it was either clown shoes or no shoes.</p><p>They drove out of the city, watching the lights fade into the distance. Hinata liked the drive, and usually just kicked back and relaxed during it, but tonight he was restless, squirming and wagging about like an over excited dog. Kageyama seemed to notice this movement, but he was trying with great effort to ignore it.</p><p>Hinata thought it was amusing how easily he could get on Kageyama’s nerves. It was as though he could breathe and tick him off.</p><p>“Kageyama, what was the last job you went on?” Hinata asked. For all of the time they spent together, they hadn’t done much small talk like this. Not since their night in the clubroom together. Hinata liked the comfortable silence between them, and he knew Kageyama was probably grateful for it as well.</p><p>“The one that you interrupted,” he grumbled. Hinata shriveled.</p><p>“I’m still sorry about that,” Hinata said, referring to that night on the bus.</p><p>“You should be,” Kageyama scowled. “That was my job. MINE. For my own benefit as much as the crows.” Hinata’s brow furrowed.</p><p>“What do you mean? What were you gonna do?” </p><p>“Get my revenge.” Hinata’s heart picked up it’s pace at the gruffness in Kageyama’s tone. His fingers clutched the steering wheel with enough force to break it two. Hinata worked as Kageyama’s jaw tightened with tension, and Hinata genuinely feared that the windshield would shatter from the force that Kageyama was glaring daggers at it.</p><p>Whatever had happened was big, for the crows, and for him. Whatever had happened was probably the cause of his perpetual anger. Whatever had happened, it was the source of Kageyama’s motivations, and Hinata could assume that it was bigger than just “revenge.”</p><p>Whatever had happened, Hinata was determined to figure it out.</p><p>Whatever had happened, Hinata was determined to fight alongside Kageyama to fix it.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata decided not to press further at that moment. Kageyama was already teetering on the edge of sanity, and Hinata didn’t need to die in a car crash before his first job. Maybe he’d risk it on the way home. So, he resolved to stay silent and stare out his window for the reminder of the ride.</p><p>He did notice, however, when Kageyama took one deep breath, exhaling slowly. Hinata turned to look at him, and it was clear that he’d calmed himself down. Hinata smiled to himself, relieved that he hadn’t entirely ruined the mood, and sat comfortably in the silence yet again.</p><p>Their arrival to Karasuno was as it usually was. Hinata jumped out of the car before Kageyama had even fully turned off the engine, chattering away about the night’s events.</p><p>“You know, Asahi, Noya, and I are all going on a job tonight. With Dateko! Isn’t that awesome?” He exclaimed, waiting for Kageyama to lock the car.</p><p>“I know. You’ve only mentioned it a thousand times the past two days.”</p><p>“I know!”</p><p>The pair started walking, and Hinata fought to keep his balance as the shoes slipped off his feet unceremoniously every few steps. He didn’t miss the sly smirk on Kageyama’s face as he sped up, leaving Hinata trailing behind. Kageyama knocked three times on the gym door, holding the door open for Hinata, who stumbled through a moment later.</p><p>“Thank god you guys finally made it,” Asahi said, his voice shaking. “I thought Daichi was gonna start a rampage if you took even a second longer.”</p><p>“Yeah, well this idiot doesn’t know how to dress himself,” Kageyama said plainly.</p><p>“Hey!” Hinata exclaimed, shoving Kageyama. Kageyama wasted no time shoving him back, and Hinata collapsed to the floor clumsily, as he didn’t have the proper footing.</p><p>“What’s up with the clown shoes?” Noya laughed, moving towards the scene.</p><p>“T-they’re Kageyama’s,” Hinata explained, taking Asahi’s hand to stand up. “I’m gonna stuff them with paper towels or something.” Noya laughed, and even Asahi chuckled a bit. Kageyama just scowled, but Hinata’s face flamed with embarrassment. It wasn’t the shoes, it was what they represented. The money, the success, the reason for his doing this at all.</p><p>Once Hinata could buy his own shoes, he’d be one step closer to having the life he didn’t know he wanted.</p><p>Hinata parted with the group, scurrying to the restroom. He hadn’t realized just how nervous he was until this moment. It was like his mind and body had finally caught up with each other, making his symptoms on anxiety peak. He almost couldn’t guide the wad of paper towels into the shoe because of how badly his fingers were vibrating. His breath was shaky, and he felt like his heart was beating so hard that his body rattled with each pump. He jammed the wad into the front of the shoes, stuffing his feet in after them.</p><p>Still, they were too large. He stood up and paced back and forth, measuring just how much more stuffing he would need to fill the gap. Hinata caught his reflection in the mirror, gazing at him with a pointed stare. His face was pale, but his eyes shone as bright as two suns. His nerves had him like a guard dog, aware of every subtle noise, movement, and flicker of light. He looked haunted.</p><p>The door to the bathroom swung open as Suga walked in. His eyes flickered down to Hinata’s feet, and Hinata could tell that he was biting back a laugh.</p><p>“Is it that bad?” Hinata asked, sulking at his pathetic situation.</p><p>“If you’re talking about the monstrous shoes on your feet, then yes. Where did you get those?”</p><p>“These are Kageyama’s. I don’t have any impressive shoes.”</p><p>“Well, those are certainly impressive,” Suga chuckled. He walked over to the towel machine, pulling more out and wadding them up. “Here, stuff them with this, they’ll fit better.”</p><p>Hinata slipped off the shoe, his original wads going with them. The sight of the paper towels falling out sent Suga into overdrive. He barked out a laugh, his generally kind face contorting with uncontrolled hysteria.</p><p>“I-I’m sorry, it’s just… God, you’d already stuffed them?!” Suga laughed exasperatedly.</p><p>“Kageyama’s got massive feet! It’s not my fault!” Hinata whined, taking the paper towels from Suga anyway. He stuffed them with the original towels in the front of his shoes, pleased with the way he had to mash his feet in with them.</p><p>“See? Now it’s better!” Hinata said, pacing back and forth to show the improvement to Suga. Suga, who was still calming down from his outburst, simply nodded in approval. After a moment, he addressed the evening’s plans.</p><p>“Hinata, this is a big deal for us, okay? But it’s an even bigger deal for Asahi and Noya. They have personal bonds to the iron wall that go much deeper than just a deal.”</p><p>“I know. That’s why I won’t interfere,” Hinata said confidently.</p><p>“You are to listen to whatever they direct you to do. No matter what it is.”</p><p>“I know.”</p><p> </p><p>“You are to listen and learn from this experience so that we can give you bigger roles in the future.”</p><p>“I know.”</p><p>“You are to lie low, don’t make yourself a target.”</p><p>“I know.”</p><p>“And Hinata?” Hinata cocked his head.</p><p>“You are to buy yourself a pair of shoes that fit.”</p><p>Hinata scowled, a theatrical performance, but shot Suga a bright smile as he left the bathroom, leaving Suga to his own hysterics.</p><p>The second HInata had crossed the threshold of the gym, Nishinoya had grabbed him by the wrist and was pulling him towards the door, talking a mile a minute.</p><p>“We’re gonna be late Hinata! God, Hinata, you and those dumbass clown shoes. You look like a dumbass. God you’re so short. Fuck, why did Daichi think sending TWO SHORT PEOPLE on this job was a good idea. Have you seen Dateko guys? Huh? Have you? They’re huge. Like, gargantuan. Height must be a prerequisite.” Hinata tried desperately to understand a single word that spurted from his mouth, but he couldn’t quite keep up with Noya’s train of thought. </p><p>Noya busted through the doors, startling the ever-loving shit out of Asahi, who was standing just outside of them, shivering from the cold.</p><p>“Jesus, Nishinoya, you’ve got the strength of a bull.”</p><p>“Hell yeah I do!” Noya said, puffing his chest. The breath he let out afterwards, though, was shaky and unstable. Hinata understood what was happening: Nishinoya was barely holding it together, nervous for what was to come.</p><p>Asahi wasn’t exactly calm either. His face was pale, and he couldn’t speak more than a few words at a time. Nishinoya tried to engage in conversation, but his words were too rapid, and Asahi’s were practically nonexistent. Hinata was nervous too, but not the way that they were. He couldn’t blame them.</p><p>Daichi had explained to Hinata what had happened in their previous meeting with Dateko. </p><p>Asahi and Nishinoya were tasked with becoming allies with the Dateko group. Dateko, however, is known for their brutish and intimidating men, who are selective in their choice of ally. Noya and Asahi had prepared for weeks, planning just what they would say, how they would present the crows, and the benefits of working together. At the time, Karasuno was nothing more than a dealership, but Dateko was strong in the street fighting arena. For the two to work together would mean expansion for both groups, but it came with many risks.</p><p>They had made it to the meeting, gotten shot down after only a few sentences, and turned away as if they were the scum of the earth.</p><p>Of course, not before Nishinoya had lashed out at the men, aggressively arguing that they weren’t given a fair chance, that they weren’t able to show the extent of their worth. Dateko hadn’t cared, hadn’t even batted an eye at the outburst. The embarrassment was large, especially for Asahi, who had relied on his tough exterior to measure up to the men.</p><p>Still, Asahi couldn’t measure up.</p><p>Asahi and Nishinoya both felt at odds, not only with Dateko, but with each other, and with the crows as a whole. They hadn’t been able to satisfy Dateko, and had felt like they let each other down. They felt as though their one duty to the crows had been failed, which caused them both to reconsider their attachment to the gang.</p><p>If it weren’t for Daichi, the two probably would have quit and went their separate ways. The two had rekindled their relationship, and of course the crows were disappointed in what had happened, but they didn’t blame the pair for it. Instead, they worked harder to improve their standings.</p><p>That was why, at that present moment, Hinata felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, and he knew that the other two did as well. He knew that their entire lives were riding on the success of this meeting, and Hinata couldn’t help but feel like he was a hindrance. He desperately wanted everything to work out, but he knew it wasn’t his responsibility anymore- it was Asahi and Nishinoya’s. The weight of that knowledge was crushing the three of them as Tsukishima pulled around a car for them.</p><p>He would be their driver for the night. When going to potential enemy territory, it was custom that there had to be a getaway driver. Gang life was unpredictable, and you couldn’t waste time making someone start a car. The three piled in, Asahi taking shotgun leaving the smaller two in the back.</p><p>“You know where you’re going?” Noya asked, leaning forward to wrap around the back of Tsukishima’s seat.</p><p>“Yes, I do. Please sit back and buckle up,” he responded plainly.</p><p>“Ah, but it’s so claustrophobic! I hate sitting still for so long. I could probably run there myself anyway. I’m quite speedy.” Noya sat back, but he didn’t buckle up. Hinata watched the pleasant smile slide off of his face. His nerves were overtaking him, even subduing him into silence.</p><p>Hinata was practically vibrating with anxious energy, his legs bounding relentlessly against the floor of the car. They’d been driving for no more than ten minutes, but each passing second felt like an entire lifetime. With each passing second, Hinata’s heart picked up pace until he was seeing stars and sweating like a beast.</p><p>“H-hey Noya,” Hinata said, shaking over his words.</p><p>“‘Sup little dude?”</p><p>“A-are they really that big?”</p><p>Noya chuckled. “Uh, yes. If you ever thought Asahi was intimidating, imagine, like, triple that. They look like they could bite your head off. Not even joking.”</p><p>“Hey!” Asahi whined. “Not helping the mood.” </p><p>“Asahi! Don’t worry at all! I thought you were super intimidating when I first met you!” Hinata assured, resting a shaking hand on his shoulder. Hinata could feel Asahi trembling with nervous energy as well.</p><p>“Sure, but if I still can’t compare to them-”</p><p>“Asahi,” Noya interjected, sitting forward again. “You’ve grown since then. So have I. Even if you stumble, I’m here to back you up. You aren’t doing this alone. Please don’t carry this weight by yourself.”</p><p>The tension in the car rose as Nishinoya directly confronted their previous obstacle. Hinata knew this moment was fragile, but he couldn’t restrain himself from inserting.</p><p>“I’m here too. I know I probably wouldn’t be much help, but Noya’s right. You aren’t alone. Don’t burden yourself with more fault than you need to.”</p><p>“Profound words, coming from someone completely inexperienced,” Tsukishima grumbled.</p><p>“Hey, shut it four-eyes!” Nishinoya exclaimed, chopping Tsukiki’s shoulder. “You’re right, Hinata. You’ve got us, Asahi.”</p><p>Asahi didn’t verbally respond, instead nodding twice before the car fell into silence.</p><p>They drove on in the silence, the tense, deafening silence. Asahi and Hinata were both jittery, unable to contain their nerves, while Nishinoya’s nerves stunned him into absolute stillness. Tsukishima proceeded as normal, that emotionless prick.</p><p>Hinata didn’t mind Tsukishima all that much. He took pleasure in trying to rile him up, and quite enjoyed getting a rise out of him. As much as that backfired, he felt that Tsukki tolerated him too, and the pair coexisted mutually.</p><p>The longer the drive was, however, the more his stomach twisted The more time he had to think about the meeting, the more his mind twisted. As his head pounded and his stomach gurgled, he finally couldn’t take it anymore.</p><p>“We’re here,” Tsukishima said without an ounce of joy. </p><p>“Fuck, wait we are?” Hinata asked, blearily trying to make out his surroundings.</p><p>“Y-y-yep,” Asahi choked.</p><p>In any normal situation, Hinata’s adrenaline and raw nervous energy would have propelled him out of the car and straight through the front door. Tonight, however, he was propelled out of the car and straight for the large- dead, mind you- cherry blossom tree, where he promptly spewed the few bites he’d had for dinner and that godforsaken espresso.</p><p>Hinata duly noted that it wasn’t better the second time around.</p><p>“Gross, Hinata, you should have told me to pull over on the side of the road,” Tsukishima scoffed,</p><p>“I woulda but I just thought it was gonna fade away!” Hinata argued as Asahi handed him a mint. Leave it to Asahi to take care of others as he was literally withering away in front of their eyes.</p><p>“I’ve got your supplies in the back, hurry and get it together before you’re all late,” Tsukishima said, popping the trunk of the car. The three scurried over to assemble themselves, but Hinata’s breath was caught in his throat at what he saw lying in the trunk of the car.</p><p>Guns. Lot’s of them, too. A few briefcases, and what appeared to be tasers. Hinata definitely would have thrown up at the sight of it all if he hadn’t just already.</p><p>For all of his training with the crows, weaponry wasn’t a part of it. Oftentimes, he was lucky enough to forget that gangs were even violent entities. But now, as Asahi and Nishinoya armed themselves with the weapons, tucking them into holsters, Hinata couldn’t believe he’d ever forgotten. </p><p>“G-guys, I don’t know how to use a gun,” Hinata said frantically. His team members looked at him, though not in shock.</p><p>“We figured. Sugawara would hate to give you a gun two weeks in,” Nishinoya reasoned. He handed Hinata a taser and a holster. “Wrap this around your thigh, sorta like a garter. That way you don't have to go digging for it if you need it.”</p><p>“A-am I gonna need it?” Hinata asked, dissolving into a panic.</p><p>“Probably not,” Asahi said, putting an arm on his shoulder to steady him. “Dateko is intimidating, but they don’t often get violent. They’re much more defense than offense.” Hinata exhaled sharply, though his heartrate didn’t slow in the slightest.</p><p>The men suited up with shaky breaths, each in their own head. Even Tsukishima grabbed a gun before shutting the trunk and returning to the driver’s seat of the car. Hinata had a taser on his thigh, an earpiece that he and Tsukishima could talk through, and a briefcase, though, admittedly he had no idea what was in it. Asahi and Nishinoya both had earpieces and guns.</p><p>“Hinata, you’re to let Asahi and I do all of the talking,” Nishinoya instructed. “I know you don’t have much information. If they try to call you on that, you blame us, saying you were a last minute recruit. It’s not far from the truth.”</p><p>“Won’t that make us look unprepared, though?” Hinata asked.</p><p>“No. The story will just be that you’re filling in for someone that we had to take care of. Simple, but powerful,” Noya said stoically.</p><p>“Don’t do anything with that briefcase until you're given the go-ahead by one of us,” Asahi added, his voice much gruffer than it had been just a moment ago. “There’s drugs in there. Lots of them. Drugs that you won’t be able to talk about on your own.” Hinata glanced down at the briefcase, wondering how many years in prison he’d get if they were caught.</p><p>“And Hinata?” Hinata glanced at Nishinoya, who was leading the way from the car. “Take notes. You’re with the two coolest crows right now. We’re gonna show you how it’s done.” Hinata smiled brightly, encouraged by his elders. Still, he internally questioned just how Noya could be so confident in this moment, knowing what loomed ahead.</p><p>There was nothing left to do but go forward, despite protests from Hinata’s gut, screaming at him to return to safety. So, the three of them trekked onward, up the gravel path towards the house looming in the distance.</p><p>It wasn’t a mansion, necessarily, but the house was large, and it was obvious that money lived inside. The path was lined with bushes and trees that withered as the winter nipped at their branches. It must have been a sight to behold on a sunny summer morning. </p><p>Hinata’s stomach was still gnawing at him, but he had no choice but to keep going. He couldn’t baby out now, he refused. Nishinoya and Asahi were both strong for him and each other, and he would do the same for them.</p><p>They reached the front porch. Asahi went to ring the doorbell, but instead detached it from the wall.</p><p>“What are you doing?!” Hinata exclaimed in a whisper yell.</p><p>“Dude, you gotta be quiet,” Noya hushed. Immediately, Hinata recoiled into himself. How fucking embarassing, he thought.</p><p>“Dateko has two bells. One for business, one for passing by. This is a house, afterall. They gotta be able to tell the difference between the two visitors,” Asahi explained, pointing to the hidden doorbell behind the original. He rang it, four bell chimes pinging.</p><p>The three of them subconsciously straightened up. Hinata shrugged his shoulders and cleared his throat. He didn’t want to seem uptight or nervous, but he also didn’t want to seem lazy or uninterested. God, what the hell did his hair look like?</p><p>The door opened, a tall, burly man meeting them face to face. Hinata nearly passed out at the sight of him. He was massive, easily six foot three. His hair was snow white, and his eyes were stark. Notably, he had no eyebrows, which only made him appear more hostile. His face had no emotion, as he stared at the three crows. He didn’t say a word, only stepped aside as he allowed the crows in.</p><p>As the door shut behind them, a more teasing personality greeted them.</p><p>“Ah, Karasuno! Lovely to see you all… again.” The man was also tall, but distinctly less burly. His hair was cleanly styled, and his eyes had a jovial shine.</p><p>“You as well, Futakuchi,” Asahi said, exchanging bows.</p><p>Kenji Futakuchi, head of the Iron Wall, Hinata thought. He’d heard about the leaders of various gangs from Daichi. He ran through a mental list of what he could remember about Futakuchi, which, admittedly, wasn’t much. Hinata knew that the man was notorious for being kind, but teasing. Hospitable until he decided he didn’t want to deal with you. Hinata was filled with determination, willing that confident energy to Asahi and Noya. He wanted nothing more than for Futakuchi to welcome them in.</p><p>“Come, I’ve got tea if you’re interested,” Futakuchi said, leading the way into a backroom. The house was large and open, resembling that of a cottage, perhaps. The backroom looked like a greenhouse, of sorts. It was entirely green, of course, and littered with growing plants everywhere Hinata could see. Vines and leaves draped across the walls, the ceilings, even the floor. It was stunning, but it totally caught Hinata off guard. This entire experience thus far felt very much less intimidating than the others had made it sound. Of course, that was excluding Mr. Clean at the front door.</p><p>They sat around a large wooden table. Hinata placed himself beside Asahi, who was seated between him and Nishinoya. Across from them sat Futakuchi, and Mr. Clean, who followed close behind.</p><p>“When was the last time we saw you two, about a year ago?” Futakuchi asked. </p><p>Asahi blushed beside himself. “Yes, I suppose it was around that time,” he said forcibly.</p><p>“It didn’t go the way we wanted. That’s why we’re back,” Nishinoya said, his voice filled with passion.</p><p>“Ah, I see. Yes, I do remember our last meeting. I can’t guarantee this one will go much different, however.” Hinata balked at Futakuchi’s blunt statement. How could he be so honest when the meeting hadn’t even started? It was insanity!</p><p>“Don’t worry,” Asahi said. “I’m sure it will.”</p><p>Futakuchi smiled at Asahi’s blunt determination. “I appreciate your passion. But of course, you know very well that we don’t like to work with others. And when we do, we’re very picky. We only work with two others, at the moment. I’m not entirely compelled to work with more. It complicates things.”</p><p>“Tea,” Mr. Clean grumbled, his voice so deep it rattled around in Hinata’s chest like the bass at a concert. Hinata trained his eyes at the table, too scared to meet another potential Mr. Clean.</p><p>“Indeed, Aone, the tea has arrived,” Futakuchi said. The table was slightly imbalanced, Hinata noticed, as the tea was handed around to those at the table.</p><p>“My apologies, I hope you weren’t waiting too long on it,” a voice said. </p><p>Hinata’s eyes nearly bust out of their sockets. He felt his heart stop beating entirely in his chest. His blood rushed to his head, making him dizzy in an instant. It was official, he never should have drank that espresso, it was making him hallucinate. He could have sworn he heard Koganegawa’s voice just then! Perhaps that was just because he and Kogane had talked about teas often? </p><p>Hinata, completely spiraling out of control, couldn’t keep his eyes trained on the wood any longer. He raised his eyes slightly, meeting the tall, stocky figure to his right. He’d recognize that face anywhere.</p><p>It was the face of his only friend, his co-worker, the man he’d just closed up shop with mere hours ago.</p><p>Kanji Koganegawa stood before him, mouth agape as he registered just what was happening.</p><p>“Jesus-”</p><p>“Fuck.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is easily my favorite chapter I've written. I wrote it in two days, and still it's my second longest chapter so far. I really really hope you all enjoy it, and look out for the next chapter, coming out soon :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. This Calls For A Drink!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After all that Shoyo Hinata had experienced in the past three weeks, nothing was quite as shocking as this. His mouth hung agape as he stared dumbfoundedly at his co-worker, Kanji Koganegawa, who was staring back at him with the same bewildered expression. How was this possible? Koganegawa had just closed the shop with him, and he was so normal and unsuspecting, but now the two stood face to face yet again, in a completely different setting.</p><p>	Though Hinata now realized that he was the perfect example of how to live as a gang member. To be unsuspecting, and normal, and carry on as though there was nothing suspicious about yourself. Hinata realized that despite his ability to read people, he wouldn’t have suspected a thing, and that’s what made Kogane better than him.</p><p>	“What’s going on?” Asahi asked, looking between the two. </p><p>	“H-he’s my co-worker,” Hinata choked out. Kogane’s mouth moved, but no sound came out. Clearly this was something that didn’t happen often.</p><p>	“You know the new kid? Because I certainly don’t,” Futakuchi said, throwing daggers to Hinata.</p><p>	“Y-yes, he just started working for the coffee shop a few weeks ago,” Kogane said, finally finding his voice after an unsure moment.</p><p>	“Well isn’t that just a lovely little surprise! This shakes things up a bit, now doesn’t it?” Futakuchi chuckled. Hinata would have to wholeheartedly agree. There was absolutely no way he could have ever predicted this happening. He returned his eyes to the table, willing the heat to evaporate off of his face.</p><p>	“What’s your name, crow?” Futakuchi asked, blatantly ignoring the spiked tension in the greenroom. Hinata looked to Asahi for confirmation that this was information he could provide.</p><p>	“My name is Shoyo Hinata.”</p><p>	“Hm… I don’t recall ever knowing a Hinata from Karasuno. You must be new.”</p><p>	“He’s filling in for another member of ours,” Nishinoya interjected. “He had to be taken care of. Hinata is here for the time being.” </p><p>	“Rowdy crows, eh? You ought to get your men wrangled up and in check,” Futakuchi sneered, sipping at the tea with dejection. Hinata really didn’t like this man, so sure of himself and vile. </p><p>	“We’re under control, Futakuchi. That’s why we’re here again,” Asahi asserted, a fire in his voice that was foreign to Hinata. This was it, their final shot at redemption. Regardless of the curveball thrown his way, Hinata had to remain strong for his two partners. The success of the meeting mattered far more than the shock factor of the event. Hinata lifted his eyes from the table, staring sharply at Futakuchi. He refused to look at Koganegawa; it was still too much to process.</p><p>	“Alright, well, let’s get on with it then, shall we? What can you offer us that we don’t already have?” Damn, starting off strong, huh, Hinata thought.</p><p>	“You excel in street fighting, gambling in that nature. You do drugs and weapons, of course, but that’s not your strong point. Of course, it was ours a year ago, and it still is now. We’re not asking to be merged with your group, of course, we’d still like autonomy. But, there’s a lot we could learn from each other,” Asahi explained.</p><p>	“So, you’ve said,” Futakuchi said, waving his hand dismissively. “Who’s to say that we need reinforcement with your resources? Our partners have range in their offerings, and we don’t pair twice. So, I’ll ask you again. What do you have that we don’t?”</p><p>	Hinata knew nothing about truces. All he knew was that they were hard to obtain, and even harder to maintain. He knew that gangs were inherently separate, and that asking to team up, even if only for a short time, wasn’t ideal for anyone. He knew why the crows wanted to partner with Dateko- so they could become stronger in the physical arena. But what he didn’t know, and had yet to figure out, was what Dateko was lacking. He wasn’t even sure if Nishinoya or Asahi knew what they lacked. But they wouldn’t, no, they couldn’t succeed now if they didn’t know what to use to their favor. But clearly paraphernalia wasn’t one of those things.</p><p>	“If you don’t want the resources, that’s not all we can offer. We’ve expanded since our last meeting and there’s much more valuable traits we have to offer. But, of course, the risk is higher for us than you,” Nishinoya said, speaking with the same air of dismissiveness that Futakuchi had just moments ago.</p><p>	“If you’re not willing to take the risk, I’m not interested in it either.”</p><p>	“But in which case you are interested, what would you give us in return? We’re here to propose our giving to you, but we wouldn’t do it for free. What could you offer us?” Hinata had to bite back a grin. He understood what was happening now, what the strategy was.</p><p>	The last meeting had consisted of Nishinoya and Asahi desperately trying to appeal to Dateko, desperately bending at their will to achieve success. What they realized, though, was that there was no way to appeal to someone who doesn’t want to be appealed to. What they realized was that formalities have no affect on someone who doesn’t want them. What they’d realized was that the only way to do this wasn’t to play defense, but to jump straight in, turn the tables, and make this Dateko’s fight as much as their own.</p><p>	“I’d imagine you’d be interested in our fight strategy. But, of course, that’s priceless to our group. That’s what we do best. If we give our strategy to other groups, we lose our value, we lose our advantage,” Futakuchi explained plainly.</p><p>	“Are you suggesting we’re wasting our time?” Asahi asked. Hinata silently panicked. If this strategy didn’t work, then it was all for nothing. If this strategy backfired on them, it’d be the nail in the coffin for the crows.</p><p>	“I suppose it depends on the value of your offer. If your value is as high as what we could offer you, then I suppose it’s not a waste.” Hinata exhaled lowly. A step forward was a step forward, regardless of the potential risk involved.</p><p>	Asahi placed his briefcase on the table. Hinata reached down to follow suit, but was given a subtle, but strong glare that told him otherwise. Asahi opened the latches on the case, opening it to reveal a set of miscellaneous objects that appeared to lack meaning.</p><p>	“We’ve been lucky enough to take in a few people in technology. With them, we’ve developed quite a few devices that can help us, and you, if you’re interested. Of course, we’re not going to give out this information openly. You can choose any of these items, and we’ll give you a full explanation of what it does and how it could serve you.”</p><p>	Futakuchi examined the items carefully. Hinata allowed his gaze to roam, seeing that Aone and Kogane were both looking skeptically at the arrangement. Wordlessly, Aone pointed to a ring. No, THE ring, the same ring that Hinata had stolen that night on the bus.</p><p>	“Hm. I suppose we’ll be asking about the ring, then,” Futakuchi said, picking it up and twiddling it around between his fingers.</p><p>	“Hinata, you can take this one, if you want,” Nishinoya said, giving full permission to Hinata to shine.</p><p>	Hinata honestly didn’t think that he’d be given a role in this meeting at all. Hell, he’d half expected to sit out in the car with Tsukishima and listen in. For as nervous as he was, the energy was so tidal that it almost had a reversing calming effect on him. As hard as his heart was pounding and as much as his palms sweated, he felt strangely prepared to talk about this technology, and perfectly aware of how to present it.</p><p>	“This ring could serve many purposes, depending on how you choose to use it. Inside the ring is a small tracking device- I mean, we’re talking miniscule here. It’s placed deep within the metal of the band, so no one will ever suspect it. It could be used for security purposes, tracking the location of your members in a small way. It could be used on unsuspecting opposition, planting it on them without their knowledge.” As Hinata explained the capabilities of their technology, he silently thanked Kageyama for explaining it to him on his first day with the crows. “It’s not the most intricate technology we have by any means, but it’s one of the most effective.”</p><p>	“It is interesting, I’ll admit,” Futakuchi said, sliding it onto his finger. He admired the way the gold band shone in the dim light. “I didn’t expect this from you. You’ve expanded more than I predicted.”</p><p>	“We have, and we continue to do more every day,” Asahi said.</p><p>	“Let’s make a deal,” Futakuchi said, his amused tone bringing a sly smile to his face. “We’ll talk trade, what you can give me for what I can give you. We can talk about time too, how long we want this truce to be.”</p><p>	Nishinoya and Asahi both nodded plainly, such a subtle and nonchalant motion. They acted as if this wasn’t the single greatest thing that had ever happened. They had broken through that iron wall, and managed to wiggle their way in with the Dateko men. By piquing their interest, by turning the tables on them, they’d managed to raise their value in Dateko’s eyes.</p><p>	Now, it was just a matter of upholding that value. Otherwise, they risked a cease of the deal, loss of their partner, and overall unhappy feelings towards the group.</p><p>	“Your technology, at least what I know of it, is nothing extraordinary. It’s basic, simple, but unsuspecting. However, none of our partners have anything quite like it. If there’s something we lack, its the general security and strategy that technology, such as yours, can provide. Our physical strength and growing resources are a benefit, but if we lack preparation and skill, it’s essentially useless.</p><p>	“I’m going to propose that you trade with us some of that technology. And of course, we will discuss exactly what your technology does and what of it will be most useful to us. For you, I will allow some of your men to train with ours. Aone here, for example, is our go-to when it comes to raw combat. It would be nothing more than sparring, and no damage would be done to your men. </p><p>	“Essentially, you would trade your field strategy for our combat strategy. Considering it is in these two areas that we both lack, I’d say the value of this trade is high.”</p><p>	“I’d agree that the value is high,” Nishinoya said, leaning forward as he engrossed himself further in the conversation. “However, the monetary value of the deal is entirely lopsided. Our technology doesn’t come free. Our pouring money into making it for your benefit doesn’t equate to a simple training session.”</p><p>	“You have a point. Though, again, your resources are about equal to ours. If you wanted drugs or weapons, you’d be draining us more than you’re giving. That would also make the deal quite lopsided.”</p><p>	“We know this. That’s why we won’t ask for any of that stuff. What we’ll ask is that whenever you use our technology on a deal, we get 25% of the cut.” Hinata watched as Futakuchi smirked at Nishinoya’s words. Asking for a share of the profit from a deal was unheard of, Hinata knew this. But, it was the most reasonable thing to bargain in this case where the two gangs were practically equals.</p><p>“You’ve got your sights set high, eh? What makes you think I’d ever hand over a cut of my profit?”</p><p>“Because you need our technology. You’d benefit from us more than we could benefit from you in this case. What you don’t seem to realize is that last year we weren’t comparable to you. Now, we’re equals, but what you can get from us is much harder to find than what we can gain from you. But you’re known for what we’re asking of you. That’s why you’re the only group we would consider this deal with. However, we’re fine with no deal at all.”</p><p>Futakuchi pondered Asahi’s monologue carefully. Hinata’s head felt woozy from holding his breath for so long. He locked eyes with Koganegawa from across the table. He appeared to share the same distress, which lifted Hinata’s spirits slightly. If the three men sitting across from him all had the same frame of mind, despite their exterior dispositions, they were all desperate to lock this deal in. It was Futakuchi’s ego, in this case, that prevented them from sealing it.</p><p>“Again, I’m always quite skeptical about working with others. So you have to understand where I’m coming from when I say this…” Hinata braced for impact. He was sure of it, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that what was coming next was a sharp and harsh rejection.</p><p>“I think a limited partnership, to start, would be best. And we can discuss exactly what the entails later, if you’re interested.”</p><p>Hinata nearly jumped out of his chair with joy. Perhaps he did, a little bit, as all eyes on either side of the table jumped to him. He blushed with embarrassment, allowing the conversation to continue and the attention fall off of him yet again.</p><p>“We are interested, of course,” Asahi said, perhaps speaking too earnestly. “If you’d like, we can set up an arrangement for you to speak with our captain.”</p><p>Fuatkuchi chuckled. “Ah, with all due respect to your captain, I’d rather the conversation be between us. I’ll admit I find your bunch rather amusing.”</p><p>“Of course,” Nishinoya said, bowing his head slightly. Hinata didn’t miss the grin on his face. “We can discuss the details later.”</p><p>“For now, a toast to our new partners,” Futakuchi said, raising his tea glass to the sky. The rest of the men followed suit, even Aone. Hinata thought it was quite funny how large the man’s hands were, and how he still grasped the tiny cup with grace.</p><p>“To expansion,” Futakuchi said, winking at the crows. They repeated after him, taking a sip of the tea in unison.</p><p>To expansion, certainly. More importantly- at least, to Hinata- a cheers to resolve, and the determination and triumph of the crows.</p><p> </p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>The ride home might as well have been taking place in a party limo on the night of a rowdy bachelor party. Nishinoya refused his seatbelt, climbing over and between seats as he blasted music on the aux. (Of course he was on the aux, who else?) Hinata had nearly collapsed of stress the second he exited the property, leaving Asahi to hold him up. Asahi, however, was also barely standing, dealing with the same effects of stress and exhaustion. Tsukishima, who had listened in on the whole thing through a recording bug, was clearly in a better mood than normal, as he allowed the chaos to ensue in the background with little to no complaints as he drove.</p><p>The night was cold and dark with not a cloud in the sky. Hinata hadn’t taken the time to notice it before, but now, as it stretched out before him, he felt as though he was holding the world in the palm of his hand. He hadn’t even contributed much to the night, but still, he felt a sense of pride so strong it threatened to overtake him.</p><p>Upon their arrival to Karasuno, they (well, really just Nishinoya) decided that the group should act as though they’d failed the deal, just to get a rise out of the crows. Asahi shuddered at the proposal, scared of the reactions they might receive, especially from Daichi. Hinata didn’t want his first mission, regardless of his involvement, to be a failure and rejected the idea. Nishinoya had even joked that they wouldn’t have to worry about Tsukki, whose acting skills didn’t matter when his face looked so downtrodden all the time.</p><p>Still, they’d given in and followed Nishinoya’s scheme.</p><p>Three knocks on the gym door, where the crows would likely still be. It was late, but not so late that the majority of the crows would have left to go home. As expected, Yamaguchi opened the door, his eyes wide with curiosity and hope. Hinata felt bad, but the thrill of the lie pumped adrenaline through his veins. He had to force himself to bite back a smile as he painted a frown on his face. He watched as Yamaguchi’s face fell, recognizing the anguish upon their faces. He let them in wordlessly, unsure how to console them.</p><p>The group walked in, following Yamaguchi’s footsteps. The room wasn’t full, and a good number of crows were still present. All eyes turned to them, immediately taking note of the sour atmosphere.</p><p>“So… what happened?” Yamaguchi asked carefully. Before any one of them could begin to explain, Daichi and Sugawara entered the room.</p><p>“Ah welcome back,” Daichi said, not noticing the tension in the room. Suga, on the other hand, had his brow furrowed in disappointment.</p><p>“What happened?” Suga asked, his tone calm and easy.</p><p>“They’re an iron wall, for sure,” Nishinoya said, exaggerating his sorrowful tone.</p><p>“You were denied again?” Daichi asked, his tone growing darker. Nishinoya could only nod. </p><p>“Who do they think they are?” Daichi exclaimed, fists forming at his sides. Hinata began to get nervous, but he kept the act going as long as Asahi and Nishinoya did. Tsukishima had simply left to unpack the car, leaving the performance to the others. “They have no reason to deny us now, we’re so much bigger than last year. Did you use the briefcase strategy?”</p><p>“Yes, we did. They weren’t interested in anything, though. We couldn’t break them down,” Asahi said, his voice shaking. Hinata figured it was with the guilt of the lie, but it came off as disappointment in the job, convincing Daichi and the others of their sincerity.</p><p>“Fuck that,” Sugawara said. “And fuck them too. We don’t need them to keep moving forward. We don’t need their strategy. We can form our own, no problem.”</p><p>“We know you did everything you could do. Normally there would be consequences for this sort of thing, giving us a weak reputation. But I know you worked tirelessly to succeed, and your growth, as well as ours, reflects that greatly. What happened tonight was none of your faults,” Daichi said, forcing himself to tone down. Daichi was mad, but not at the crows, and Hinata felt awful for riling him up like that.</p><p>“Daichi-”</p><p>“We appreciate that, Daichi,” Nishinoya said, jutting Hinata’s confession off. “We were really disappointed about it.”</p><p>They must have been far too engrossed in their lie to notice Yamaguchi letting Tsukishima in the door. From behind him, Hinata heard Tsukishima call, “Oh, come on, you’re still going on with that story?”</p><p>Daichi looked quizzically at the group. “Story?”</p><p>Hinata had had enough of the stress of the night, finally shattering his resolve. “They did it, Daichi. They got the deal.” He spoke with exasperation in his tone, tired of the night, but still relieved that he was able to give good news.</p><p>“We got it!! We fuckin’ did it!! And even better than what we planned!! You should have seen it, I got so ballsy there at the end, I thought god himself was gonna strike me down on the spot. And Hinata knew a guy personally, which was super weird and strange and I think it nearly killed him. But it’s all fine and good because we’re partnered!” Nishinoya was jumping about, unable to contain his excitement and pride. He didn’t seem to notice how Suga was bent over, hands on knees, as Daichi leaned back on his heels pressing his hands into his face.</p><p>“It was really cool. I mean, besides the awkward tension, it went super smooth. I mean, they played right into our plan,” Asahi said, speaking in a much less hurried tone than Nishinoya.</p><p>“Nishinoya,” Daichi called sternly. “Was this little story your idea?”</p><p>Noya giggled, a mischievous spark lighting in his eyes. “Of course!” he exclaimed.</p><p>Daichi fumed and Suga sighed in relief. “We got the deal?” Suga asked.</p><p>“We got the deal,” Asahi affirmed. Tsukishima walked over to Daichi and Suga, slinging his arms around the both of them. </p><p>“Don’t let those dumbasses fool you. Of course they got it.” Tsukishima’s words of praise were almost unbelievable. Hinata knew Tsukki wasn’t one for praise, but the moment was much too joyous to ignore.</p><p>The crows collectively let out a breath of tension as the four men recounted their experience  with Dateko. Nishinoya dramatically retold their negotiations and Asahi described the men and their dispositions far more rationally. However, Hinata’s run-in with Koganegawa wasn’t overlooked.</p><p>“You know him?” Daichi asked in reference to the co-worker.</p><p>“Yes, I do. I actually just finished a closing shift with him just before I went. I had no idea who he was though, and he didn’t know either.” Hinata’s heart sank when he considered how tomorrow’s shift would go.</p><p>“Isn’t it a good thing that we’ve got that connection?” Yamaguchi asked. </p><p>“It could be,” Sugawara said, considering the potential consequences. “If Hinata and Koganegawa have a working personal relationship, that means regardless of the deal, Dateko and us are going to have ties together. However, depending on Koganegawa’s feelings towards Hinata, that relationship could grow stronger, or could weaken significantly.”</p><p>“So then how am I supposed to be around him? Now that we know about each other…” </p><p>“Normal. You can’t act as though nothing happened, and I do think you should at least recognize what happened, but your relationship with him can’t be affected by what you know about each other. At the end of the day, your friendship with him is more important than your partnership with him.”</p><p>Hinata wasn’t sure how he was supposed to go on as normal with Koganegawa. Hell, even if he saw Daichi on the street he wouldn’t be able to act as normal. His perception of Kogane had altered significantly. Of course, this change wasn’t inherently bad, but he still wouldn’t be able to look at him the same. Still, he nodded in agreement with Suga’s statement, knowing that it was the only way to go forward.</p><p>After the conversation, the crows celebrated, drinking and hanging out. They ignored any and all work that they were doing, focusing on their win of the night. Hinata revealed in the high, for the first time ever, experiencing the high of being in the gang. The rush of power that came with bending others to your will. It was intoxicating, and Hinata couldn’t wait to experience that feeling forever.</p><p>He wished more than anything that he’d only thought to do something like this sooner. He felt as though he’d missed out on this feeling his whole life, like he’d only just learned how to breathe. His cheeks were rosy from alcohol and joy, and his chest felt light but full at the same time. Shoyo Hinata was content, finally living a life he desired.</p><p>The night was growing long, and slowly the crows began to filter out of the gym. Hinata wasn’t fully drunk, but he was just tipsy enough to stumble as he walked and slurred his words ever so slightly. So, Kageyama, being the gentleman he was, grabbed Hinata roughly by the wrist and led him towards the car.</p><p>“You shoulda been there, Kageyama,” Hinata said, his voice syrupy. “I coulda died right there in the room. Right on the table- SPLAT!”  Hinata clapped his hands together to mimic the sound of his potential death. “I really coulda.”</p><p>“I’m sure,” Kageyama said.</p><p>“You woulda missed me sooooooo bad, right Kageyama? Who else woulda been your carpool buddy?” Hinata was too spaced out to see Kageyama tense up and his face turn slightly pink.</p><p>“I wouldn’t have missed you being so loud all the time, that’s for sure.”</p><p>“Hey! Not cool!”</p><p>Kageyama unlocked the car, opening Hinata’s door to situate him. </p><p>“Thank you, sir!” Hinata exclaimed, saluting Kageyama as he climbed in the car. Hinata sat comfortably in his spot, settling into the plush leather. He was startled soon after, however, when Kageyama reached across him to grab the seatbelt.</p><p>“W-what are you doing?” Hinata asked. He felt more sober than before, but he couldn’t imagine this scenario actually taking place. Kageyama’s cologne flooded his senses, filling Hinata’s head with drowsy thoughts. Kageyama’s grip on the belt was firm, but gentle, wrapping around him securely. Kageyama’s face was so calm, so emotionless. That perpetual smirk was wiped clean off of his face.</p><p>“I’m buckling you in, dumbass,” he said plainly.</p><p>“Y-yeah, but why?”</p><p>“You’re drunk off your ass.”</p><p>	“Am not!” Hinata exclaimed with a huff.</p><p>	“You could barely walk to the car without my help.”</p><p>	Hinata couldn’t refute that statement. He watched as Kageyama shut his car door, walking around to the drivers side.</p><p>	He’s really caring, Hinata thought. He felt like after the emotional night (and of course the alcohol), he was able to think clearly and read the emotions of the stoic man beside him. Kageyama always surprised Hinata, but Hinata was somehow expecting those changes to come. He’d dedicated himself to breaking Kageyama’s stone walls, and he found himself doing it by accident little by little every day.</p><p>They drove in silence for a bit, that same comfortable silence that Hinata was growing to look forward to. The gentle purr of the engine and the smoothness of the drive combined with Hinata’s intoxication were lulling him to sleep. His eyes fluttered shut as sleep over took him.</p><p>He slept like that for a while, drifting in and out of consciousness as the pair drove back into the city. Upon their arrival at Hinata’s apartment building, Hinata’s limbs felt like concrete as he tried to pull himself out of his death-like sleep.</p><p>“Thank you… for driving me,” Hinata said, slurring his words slightly.</p><p>“Come on, let’s get you in safely,” Kageyama said, not bothering to make eye contact with Hinata as he stepped out from the car. Hinata’s brow furrowed as he watched Kageyama open the side door, unbuckling Hinata and lending his hand for Hinata to grab. Hinata felt heat rise to his face, whether from the alcohol or embarrassment he wasn’t sure. Why was Kageyama being so careful with him today? </p><p>Kageyama gently led a woozy Hinata into the lobby and into the elevator. Hinata yawned loudly as Kageyama pressed the fourth button. Their ascent was slow and rickety, and the carriage smelled of cigarettes. Hinata didn’t mind, though, and he could still smell the hints of Kageyama’s cologne over the stench.</p><p>Out of the elevator, Kageyama led Hinata to his own apartment. Hinata found this quite amusing, that Kageyama had grown so used to navigating his complex that he didn’t need Hinata’s instructions. Had Hinata not been so desperate for sleep he probably would have cracked a joke.</p><p>“Look at you, leading me around my own apartment complex!” He would exclaim. “Mind telling me where my room is? I think I lost it!”</p><p>“Dumbass,” Kageyama would respond bitterly. “It’s not my fault that you’re constantly bumming rides from me.”</p><p>Hinata would scoff, not taking any offense to the statement. “Oh please, you love to see me. Otherwise, you’d just text me that you’re outside instead of coming all the way up here.”</p><p>Now that Hinata was thinking about it, why did Kageyama always come pick him up at the door?</p><p>Why was he scrutinizing Kageyama’s actions at all?</p><p>They had reached Hinata’s apartment, and Hinata dug through his pocket, pulling out his key. His hands were shaky and they fumbled with the lock, but Kageyama didn’t bother to steady him. As much as Hinata appreciated being independent in that moment, a part of him, deep, deep in the back of his mind wished that Kageyama had repeated the same gentle motions as before, guiding his hands to where they needed to be.</p><p>“T-thank you for-”</p><p>Hinata was interrupted again as Kageyama entered his apartment without more words. He had let go of Hinata by now, but still, Hinata followed as Kageyama led the way into the kitchen.</p><p>“Tsukishima said you got carsick. Thankfully, not in the car, but still. You’re probably hungry.” Hinata’s jaw was on the floor as he nodded slowly. “Go shower, I’ll make us something. We need to talk before you go to sleep anyway.”</p><p>With that, Hinata scuttled off into his bedroom, locking the door behind him. He knew Kageyama wouldn’t dare to barge in, but his mind was still fuzzy and he felt like that tiny little show of distance would make things better. He grabbed whatever pajama-adjacent clothes he could find, not letting the neatly folded piles of clothes slip his notice.</p><p>He took the world’s most lukewarm shower, knowing the hot water would lull him to sleep, but cold water would be the most awful contrast to his delirious state. He scrubbed the cold sweat and stress away, letting the notes of lavender from his shampoo take over. As he cleaned up, he made a mental note to call out sick from work tomorrow. There was no chance he’d been in a good enough physical state to attend. That was excluding the inevitable tensions he was bound to face when he was with Koganegawa again.</p><p>After his shower, he slipped into his pajama-adjacent attire, far too tired to check if the articles of clothing were even clean. He prayed that there weren’t any embarrassing stains on them as he slipped out of the bathroom and unlocked his bedroom door. </p><p>The smell of warm udon hit Hinata straight in the face, making his mouth water an embarrassing amount. He hadn’t realized just how hungry he was until now. Kageyama sat at his countertop with a bowl in front of him, untouched. Hinata grinned as he realized that Kageyama had been so chivalrous as to wait for him to join before eating. Hinata lept up to the countertop, sitting across from Kageyama, who’s eyes skipped away from Hinata’s.</p><p>“Thank you for the meal!” He exclaimed, not waiting on Kageyama to start digging in. The pair ate in their trademark comfortable silence. Hinata was much too prideful to admit the Kageyama was a wonderful chef, even though the dish was quite simple.</p><p>Surprisingly, Kageyama was the first to break the ice.</p><p>“We have the day off tomorrow. With the crows, I mean.”</p><p>“Aw, really?” Hinata said, disappointed that he would miss out on a day with his new family.</p><p>“We’re not off the hook, though,” Kageyama said, eyes flickering back to Hinata’s again. “Sugawara gave us- well, me a job to do.” Hinata cocked his head inquisitively. Kageyama’s eyes flickered back down to his meal.</p><p>“We’re going shopping tomorrow.”</p><p>Hinata let his cutlery drop from his hands and onto the countertop without hesitation. Kageyama flinched at the broth that was spilled on the counter and splashed on Hinata’s shirt. Was Hinata still tipsy? God, was he fully drunk? He thought the nap, shower, and meal were all sobering him quite rapidly, but after that statement, Hinata might as well have been blackout. “We’re doing what? Why?”</p><p>“Sugawara thought your shoes looked stupid.”</p><p>“They’re your shoes!” Hinata exclaimed. He watched Kageyama fight back a smirk at the way his own voice had climbed up entire octaves.</p><p>“Yeah, well, Sugawara thinks you should get some of your own. He enlisted me to help with that.”</p><p>	“I told you I don’t want you doing that for me. I don’t want your money.” Though he appreciated that Kageyama cared, he felt subordinate to him already. Throwing money around for him like it was nothing only made Hinata feel like charity work.</p><p>	“Good thing it’s not my money then,” Kageyama said, his tone becoming gruffer with Hinata’s resistance. “It’s the crows’. Some we have stored up for the group. This isn’t coming out of anyone’s pocket, don’t stress.” Despite Kageyama’s words of assurance, Hinata still pouted.</p><p>	“What if I have work tomorrow?” he prompted rhetorically.</p><p>	“Well, do you?”</p><p>	Hinata considered his options: going into work, seeing, and inevitably having to confront Koganegawa, or, going on a pity date (was this a date????) with Kageyama.</p><p>	“Hmph. No. I was going to call out sick,” Hinata admitted, slurping at the last bits of his meal.</p><p>	“Well, then I suppose I’ll pick you up tomorrow. Is ten good?” Kageyama asked, getting up from his spot at the counter.</p><p>	“I-I guess,” Hinata confirmed, still moody from the suggestion.</p><p>	“I’ll be here then,” Kageyama said, placing his bowl in the sink. “Get some sleep, dumbass. You look like hell.” With that, Kageyama let himself out of the apartment, leaving a dumbfounded Hinata at the countertop.</p><p>	“Well, shit,” Hinata said to himself, laughing at the absurdity of his day. It was all too much to process, and frankly, he didn’t feel like doing any of it. He, too, placed his bowl in the sink, resolving to clean them tomorrow sometime. He turned off the lights, sprinted to his bedroom, and jumped under the covers without a second thought.</p><p>	Tonight was utterly too much for him, and tomorrow was sure to be something.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>NEXT CHAPTER IS LITERALLY JUST KAGEHINA!!!! I hope y'all are prepared for a whole lotta pining.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. The Obvious Conclusion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>11.</p><p>	Tobio Kageyama was completely and entirely losing his cool, and Koushi Sugawara was onto him. As Kageyama hurriedly fled from Shoyo Hinata’s apartment, this became entirely too clear to him. He wasn’t stupid; afterall, he knew how snide Suga could be, and he knew that this little “shopping date” setup had been entirely purposeful. Kageyama really thought he had everything under control, but clearly, his muddled emotions for the newest crow were showing, despite his efforts to hide them.</p><p>	Kageyama was in no way shape or form developing feelings for Hinata. It simply just wasn’t the case. Rather, he felt that he and Hinata shared something that he didn’t with the rest of the crows, something that went much deeper than his relations with the rest. And no, that thing wasn’t love, or anything quite like it. Rather, Kageyama felt entirely too similar to Hinata despite their obvious differences.</p><p>	Hinata and Kageyama only had one thing worth living for, and that thing was the Karasuno Crows. </p><p>	Without the crows, Kageyama would be empty. A worthless, empty, shell of a man, and he knew this. He also knew that Hinata was in the same position. Hinata worked a lousy job, had nowhere to go, and had no goals to achieve. Without the crows, Hinata would probably either be in jail for a petty crime or going broke while trying to find something worth living for.</p><p>	So, as Kageyama stormed out of the apartment complex, he reminded himself that his nerves around Hinata were solely because he wasn’t used to dealing with a mirror image of himself. Not because he was feeling anything love-adjacent, hell, he hadn’t even known Hinata for long! His mixed emotions were solely the result of the bond that he and Hinata unknowingly shared.</p><p>	God, that still sounded way too tacky.</p><p>	Kageyama slammed his car door shut, letting out a strong huff of breath with it. He was tired of trying to justify and understand his feelings for Hinata, because quite simply, they didn’t make sense. He wasn’t even sure if he should be mad at Sugawara for plotting this “date.” He was honestly partially grateful for the chance to get Hinata alone again. Besides their drives, Kageyama never bothered Hinata, leaving him to mingle with the others and find his own way. Of course, that didn’t mean Kageyama didn’t want to be around Hinata, rather just that he felt like he’d be acting like a possessive boyfriend when that wasn’t the case.</p><p>	Kageyama drove in silence, his heart thrumming steadily in his chest. In less than 10 hours, he’d be picking Hinata up again and spending the day with him. If he was being entirely honest with himself, he was more nervous for this than his “dates” for jobs.</p><p>	Often, he’d take an unsuspecting girl out, spew some fake nonsense about himself and repeat meaningless sweet nothings, and eventually extort information out of her. The dates he went on, unbeknownst to the woman, were solely for his job. This one was too, he supposed, but it felt entirely different. He wasn’t doing this with an end goal in sight, he was simply doing this for the sake of knowing and caring about Hinata.</p><p>	Not that he particularly cared about Hinata.</p><p>	Kageyama didn’t live in the city. That was something he’d never bothered to mention to Hinata. He lived in a suburb just outside the city, in his family’s childhood home. His parents weren’t around anymore- neither was his sister. They’d left the house to him, no questions asked. They knew Kageyama loved that home more than anything. Pulling into the driveway after a long day was always refreshing. It was as if he could let go of the weight of his breath for the first time.</p><p>	He liked to go through the front door, despite the perfectly good garage door that loomed in front of him. He would often walk from his car, out of the garage, and up the path leading to the wide wooden doors. He would knock, three times lightly. Then, he would enter the code to let himself in. No one else was there to do it anymore, after all. </p><p>	The house was empty, and the silence was loud. Kageyama hated the silence of his home, if only because it didn’t use to be so stark. There was often the noise of his mother playing the piano in the entry, the sound of his sister humming a tune as she worked, and the mumblings of his father as he worked. When Kageyama was alone, the house was eerie, and he felt the desperate need to fill the air with sound.</p><p>	He went to the living room, turning on the TV to whatever was on. Tonight, the first thing he landed on was the nightly news. It was nothing special, and quite honestly, he hated the  mundanity that the anchors spoke with. The news was often gruesome or overly wholesome. It was such a stark contrast, but the anchors were always stoic, unfeeling. Tonight, Keiji Akaashi was on air, his jewel eyes piercing straight through the screen. Kageyama walked away before the lulling sound of the man’s voice irritated him.</p><p>	He’d eaten at Hinata’s just a while earlier and wasn’t hungry anymore. He felt warm from the meal, but his chest felt full too. So, he sent himself to bed to catch what little rest he could.</p><p>	Though, as he lay awake in bed that night, he realized that he wouldn’t be able to sleep well, no matter how exhausted he was. His mind raced with questions of what the day would bring him, the thoughts fluttering around his mind like tiny butterflies. Some of the thoughts were wonderful, filling him with a warm, comforted feeling that felt like a fireplace. Others made his stomach turn and his heart race.</p><p>	His bed was far too big for just him. It was on nights like these that he wished someone was there to fill the void. He hated to sleep in the middle, but sleeping on one side always left a cold void where a warm body should have been. When he was younger, he’d always force his sister to sleep on the voided side. She always did, knowing that Kageyama hated to be alone more than anything in the world.</p><p>	Kageyama did eventually fall asleep that night, picturing someone in that void.</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>	Kageyama awoke with a start the next morning as his alarm blared its monotonous tune in his ear. He grumbled as he pressed the off button, refusing to use the snooze button this morning. He needed to prepare for the day ahead, and he’d spent too long analyzing his every move to let it go to waste.</p><p>	It was a chilly day in Tokyo, and Kageyama had planned for both indoor and outdoor excursions. After a shower that scorched his skin like the flames of hell, he settled on a black sweater and his favorite pair of joggers. He’d spent an embarrassing amount of time on his outfit alone, giving himself an anxiety attack questioning whether he’d be dressing up too much or down too little.</p><p>	Eventually, he’d decided that it would be far less embarrassing to be the one who had dressed too casually. That wouldn’t stop him from fussing over his hair, though. He combed it neatly so that his fringe hung over his eyes, which wasn’t atypical for him to do. Still, he fussed over it, worrying if the look was too ‘emo’ or too shaggy and unkempt.</p><p>	He made his way to the kitchen where he assembled a measly breakfast to start his day. He could faintly hear the mumblings of the morning news in the other room as his tea brewed. He paced anxiously, back and forth, debating whether or not he should text Hinata to remind him of their plans that morning. While he decided not to, he made another serving of tea to give the smaller man when they met.</p><p>	It was the least he could do after imploring that they spend the day together.</p><p>	It was a Friday morning and the drive into Tokyo was relatively quick compared to most days. It was around 9am, just after rush hour, and Kageyama had little to no trouble navigating the roads as he went. He found that he no longer needed the GPS to guide him once he got into the city. His muscle memory took him down the familiar roads and led him to the front of Hinata’s building.</p><p>	Kageyama parked the car on the curb, just where he always did. He appreciated the routine of it all, how easy it was becoming to do these little things. He made his way in, greeting the receptionist with a nod before heading up the stairs. </p><p>	Kageyama realized with a start that he was early. Not casually early, either, but a full thirty minutes early. He’d anticipated more traffic, but the flow of the commute had been much more continual than he’d predicted. He debated turning and heading back to the car, waiting it out in his own space instead of invading Hinata’s. Before he could make up his mind to do so, he was standing in front of Hinata’s door, debating with himself if he had the will to turn around and backtrack. To his surprise, the door swung open, revealing a rosy-cheeked Hinata staring up at him with a smile.</p><p>	Kageyama internally kicked himself for panicking so much about what to wear. Hinata stood before him in black jeans and a hoodie, managing to look put together and effortless at the same time. Still, Kageyama would bet his entire savings that Hinata hadn’t driven himself crazy with putting it together.</p><p>	“You’re early,” he said, the grin on his face growing brighter.</p><p>	“How’d you know I was out here?” Kageyama said, heat rising to his face.</p><p>	“I was looking through the peephole,” Hinata admitted. “I was ready early too. I couldn’t wait.”</p><p>	Kageyama had to stamp down a feeling of excitement from that statement. He didn’t care about Hinata, so why did that make him feel so elated?</p><p>	“I just thought traffic would be worse today. Being Friday, and all,” Kageyama said, turning his back to Hinata to lead the way out. Hinata trailed closely behind, his pace considerably faster than Kageyama in effort to keep up with the taller man’s strides.</p><p>	“That’s okay! I didn’t sleep well, so I had plenty of time to get ready and all. Where are we going first?”</p><p>	Kageyama had planned their day in meticulous detail, and their itinerary for the day was now thirty minutes ahead of schedule. So much time that their first stop wouldn’t be open for another hour.</p><p>	“Ah… I suppose we could go get coffee? Though you probably wouldn’t wanna do that since you work at a coffee shop and you’re probably sick of that… and I brought you tea anyway so you probably won’t want both-”</p><p>	“You brought me tea?” Hinata exclaimed, jumping down the last few of the stairs. How childish.</p><p>	“Yeah… I made too much this morning.” That was a flat out lie and Kageyama knew it, but the smile on Hinata’s face was excited all the same.</p><p>	“Thank you! Wow, I never have tea these days. My mom used to make really good tea, I really miss it.” Hinata rambled on about his mother and her tea talents as Kageyama unlocked the car. He couldn’t help but let his mind wander to last night when he’d taken care of the intoxicated man.</p><p>	He so clearly remembered the scent of Hinata, so uniquely him it was burned into his brain. He smelled of dryer sheets and hints of citrus; it was something so distinct and yet, Kageyama couldn’t place a finger on what it was exactly. All he knew was that it was unabashedly Hinata.</p><p>	He remembered the way Hinata’s body tensed as Kageyama reached across him. He could almost hear Hinata hold his breath as he made the move. Kageyama had the wind knocked out of him too, shocking himself with the boldness of his movement.  He couldn’t say he regretted it, though, as he didn’t trust Hinata to take care of himself on a normal day, let alone when his mind was altered.</p><p>	Not that he cared about Hinata enough to worry about that junk anyway.</p><p>	Kageyama handed Hinata the cup of tea, no longer steaming but still warm to the touch. Hinata grabbed it thankfully, warming his hands on the outside of the container. Kageyama started the car, and drove away from the curb, still without a destination in sight.</p><p>	“Our first stop doesn’t open for a while, is there anywhere you’d want to go until then?” Kageyama asked.</p><p>	“Oh, I don’t know,” Hinata said, nose scrunching in thought. “I haven’t had much time to explore. I basically just go to work and run errands, I haven’t found many cool places to visit.”</p><p>	“Let’s find one,” Kageyama said, surprising himself with the spontaneity of the idea.</p><p>	“What do you mean?” Hinata asked, also clearly surprised by the suggestion.</p><p>	“I mean, let’s find a spot. A cool place that neither of us have been to before.” </p><p>	“How are we gonna do that? Haven’t you lived here, like, forever?”</p><p>	“Yeah, but the city is huge. There’s plenty of things I haven’t seen yet,” Kageyama noted, turning down random roads and letting his navigational brain go on autopilot.</p><p>	“Oooh, like a game!” Hinata said, squirming excitedly in his seat.</p><p>	“Sure, like a game,” Kageyama grumbled, trying to humor Hinata. </p><p>	“Okay okay,  pick a number between one and fifteen okay? That’s how many blocks we’ll go.”</p><p>	“Seven,” Kageyama said. He knew they’d be driving considerably far from their intended destination, but his interest was now piqued by the fireball beside him. They drove on for seven blocks, the only noise between the pair was the tapping of Hinata’s fingers on the side of the cup of tea. “Okay, now pick a number- one or two?” Kageyama said, taking charge of their game.</p><p>	This seemed to catch Hinata off guard, and the look of shock on his face made Kageyama scowl. It was almost as if Hinata didn’t think Kageyama was capable of having fun, which he totally was and everyone knew it. Okay, maybe that wasn’t true, but here and now he would prove it to Hinata.</p><p>	“Um… two!” Kageyama turned left.</p><p>	“Pick a number between one and seven.”</p><p>	“Five!” So Kageyama drove forward for five more blocks. Their game continued as such for a short while before they came to a stop in front of a quaint alleyway. It was quiet, with little foot traffic- a wondrous sight for Kageyama. The pair got out of the car, snuggling deeper into their coats as the winter chill bit at their fingertips.</p><p>	“Do you recognize it?” Hinata asked, peeking around the corner at his surroundings.</p><p>	“No… I’ve probably never been to this part of the city,” he admitted. They walked along the road for a few steps, taking in the unfamiliar place. They came up on a small park, practically void of people excluding some mothers with their small children and those on their morning jogs. Wordlessly, the pair walked past its gates.</p><p>	Kageyama imagined that during the spring it would be a sight to behold. Cherry blossom trees were planted along the edges and scattered within, and plots of garden beds were nested in between. A set of swings and a jungle gym lay in the center where small children chased each other in a game of imagination. They walked along the trail, weaving through garden plots and trees and children. Their breath huffed out in front of them. They were walking so closely that the vapor mingled.</p><p>	At the edge of the property was a hill, a nice stretch of what Kageyama pictured to be a green lawn in the springtime. A single cherry blossom tree stood at its peak, looming over the park. They trudged their way up to it, taking a seat on its trunk.</p><p>	“This is the spot,” Hinata said surely.</p><p>	“This? It’s a park, there’s lots of these,” Kageyama said, not sure what dignified this park to be different from the other that littered the city.</p><p>	“No, right here. This spot, right here,” Hinata clarified, theatrically patting the ground with his hand. Kageyama’s stoic face twisted in confusion.</p><p>	“Look around,” Hinata said. “It’s like being on top of the world.”</p><p>	“If you really wanted to be on top of the world we could have just gone up the Tokyo Tower,” Kageyama scoffed.</p><p>	“No, not like that!” Hinata exclaimed, punching Kageyama’s arm lightly. “Just look,” he said, waving his hand at the landscape before them. “There’s so much here, you just have to look.”</p><p>	Kageyama wasn’t entirely sure what Hinata meant by that, but regardless, he tried his hardest to ‘look’ at what Hinata was seeing. The skyline was hazy and gray from the cloudy day, dead leaves and grass rippled in the light breeze, the sounds of children playing on the swings rang in the air. There was nothing particularly abnormal or special about the scene before them, yet Hinata stared down on it with admiration that made his eyes light up.</p><p>	“This is real,” Hinata said simply. His voice was so soft, but so full of passion that it nearly knocked the wind out of Kageyama. </p><p>	“Isn’t everything?” Kageyama asked. He decided to tone down the sarcasm, as Hinata was clearly being completely serious in what he was saying.</p><p>	“No, not at all,” Hinata said thoughtfully. “This is, though. The world from this point of view is one of the purest. Everything is as it should be, right here. In this bubble, the world is pure, and real, and you can tell if you just look.” So, they stared at the scene. The more Kageyama looked, the more he understood just what Hinata was alluding to.</p><p>	There was something perpetually innocent about an untouched world, and that was the best way to describe what was in front of them. A world that evolved as time went on, but one that stayed the same despite it. A world that changed as the seasons came and went, but a world that was filled with the same joy and the same beauty regardless. Kageyama realized that what Hinata was looking at wasn’t what could be seen at face value, but what was deep beneath it. Hinata was looking at the park as though it was the perfect world, and to him, it really was.</p><p>	And to Kageyama, it was starting to be too.</p><p>	And so they sat and stared at the unfolding innocence in silence. That was, until Kageyama realized with a start that they still had plans, real plans that needed attending to, lest Suga whoop his ass.</p><p>	“Sorry to spoil the fun,” Kageyama said, hoisting himself off the frozen ground, “but we gotta get going if we want to get everything done today.”</p><p>	“Aw,” Hinata groaned, reaching out to Kageyama for assistance standing up.</p><p>	“You won’t complain so much when your shoes fit,” Kageyama scowled, no longer afraid to be stern with Hinata. The soft moment had passed, but the memory would linger on in the back of his head, probably until the end of time.</p><p>	They left the park, admittedly with heavy hearts, but set their sights on the mall. It was mostly indoors, a nice change from the bitter winter chill. There, they’d be able to find most everything they needed, and then they would part their separate ways.</p><p>	Of course, Kageyama was selfish, and his selfish brain had convinced him to plan an entire day with Hinata, despite the fact that it was entirely unnecessary to do so. Of course, it’s not like he or Hinata had any other plans, and they were already going to be together in the afternoon, so why not just extend that timeframe?</p><p> </p><p>	Definitely not because Kageyama wanted to be in Hinata’s presence for as long as possible, no, not anything remotely like that. Solely convenience purposes, of course.</p><p>	The drive to the mall wasn’t long, as Kageyama had purposefully made their spontaneous excursion stay within close range. As he drove into the parking garage, it was to his utter dismay that he noticed how full it was, even just after opening. He found a spot decently far off from the entrance, and the two made their way in.</p><p>“You’ve not gone shopping since you’ve moved here, have you?” Kageyama asked as he noticed Hinata marvelling at the luxury of the building.</p><p>“No… I haven’t needed to,” the smaller man responded.</p><p>“They have everything you could possibly need here,” Kageyama said, leading the way down the crowded halls. “We’ll worry about shoes first, since clearly that’s what you need most.” He heard Hinata scoff beside him.</p><p>The mall was crowded, presumably with holiday crowds. As they walked on, Kageyama found himself losing sight of the fireball in the crowd, his height drowning in the sea of people. He’d look behind him to see Hinata lagging a few steps behind, bodying his way through the crowds. It reminded him of the way Hinata had bodied him that day at the bus stop. It was amusing to watch Hinata dart between people, but it was slowing them down, and Kageyama hated being behind schedule.</p><p>Kageyama huffed a sigh, reaching out to grab Hinata’s hand and pulling him forward. Hinata looked down at their locked hands, part shocked that he’d grabbed on without question and partly shocked that Kageyama had grabbed his hand at all. Hinata met Kageyama’s eyes, a light dusting of pink upon his cheeks. Kageyama had to look away, afraid of his own expression.</p><p>“Keep up, Sugawara is going to kill me if I lose you today,” he said, changing the tone of the situation to something far more casual.</p><p>“I wasn’t going to get lost! You’re just pissy,” Hinata exclaimed, hurrying his steps to keep up with Kageyama’s gait. </p><p>They made it to a shoe store, one that carried high-end brands that Kageyama assumed Hinata had never even considered buying before. He watched Hinata stare in awe at the vast expanse of shoes before him. Kageyama was almost embarrassed to see his reaction, as though he was taking a hyper excited child into a toy store. Hinata admired the various styles, picking them up and examining them deeply.</p><p>Kageyama had anticipated helping Hinata in his search, thinking that Hinata may have been shy about it the way he had been during their conversation the night before. As he watched Hinata now, he realized that Hinata wasn’t weird about money, he was weird about help.  So, he hung back, letting Hinata do things his way, but always ready in case Hinata were to call on him.</p><p>Eventually he did, flagging Kageyama down to get his opinion on a particularly flattering pair of shoes.</p><p>“Do you think these would be good? I know they’re a bit flashy, but I think they’re just the right amount of flashy. Or is it too much?” Hinata’s face wore a look of confusion as he handed the shoes to Kageyama for further inspection.</p><p>Admittedly, the shoes were quite flashy. They were black, but they subtly appeared to reflect a deep velvety purple when the light hit them just right. There was a large gold embellishment on the achilles, bearing the logo of the brand. There was detailing on the toe, simple but still eye catching. These shoes weren’t something that any of them would pick, and he’d certainly never seen anything like it before.</p><p>It was perfectly Hinata in a way that he couldn’t quite articulate.</p><p>“Do they have your size?” Kageyama asked, a light smirk playing on his lips. Hinata didn’t even register the teasing note of the question, instead flagging down a saleswoman to ask about the sizing. She returned shortly with a pair of the pristine shoes just for him. Hinata tried them on, looking a bit insane with his hoodie contrasting the formality of the shoes. Still, Kageyama had to admit that the shoes did look great on Hinata, and were totally perfect for him.</p><p>Even if Hinata decided he didn’t like them, Kageyama probably still would have bought them for him.</p><p>“Do you like them?” Hinata asked, rolling his ankles to show off the angles of them.</p><p>“Yeah, actually. You should get them,” Kageyama said, his voice free of any sarcasm.</p><p>“How much are these?” Hinata asked, turning to the sales rep.</p><p>“46,000 yen,” the sales rep said, maintaining that stark customer service smile that annoyed Kageyama endlessly. Hinata balked, his face turning stark white. Ah, maybe he was weird about money.</p><p>“I-I can’t let you-”</p><p>“Not me,” Kageyama said, reminded Hinata of just why they were there. “This isn’t from me.” Hinata still looked apprehensive, but the color returned to his face. The sales rep stood there, stoic as always.</p><p>“Okay,” the ginger said, his voice barely a whisper. Kageyama took that tiny affirmation as a win, holding the box out as Hinata placed the shoes gingerly back into it.</p><p>“We’ll take these,” Kageyama said to the sales rep.</p><p>“Of course, lovely choice,” she responded.</p><p>The day went on as such, but Hinata’s discomfort visibly lessened throughout the day. They bought him clean button-downs, trousers, sweaters, and even two full suits. Hinata had modeled them like a fool in the dressing room.</p><p>It was the kind of store that Kageyama hated and loved all at the same time. It was undeniably expensive, so expensive that you were basically shooed away unless you looked like you deserved to be there. It was so tacky and oozed privilege, which annoyed the raven-haired man terribly, but the quality of the clothes definitely made up for the annoyance. </p><p>They had made their way into the dressing rooms, which quite frankly, were almost the size of an entire apartment. There was a room for changing, closet space for the clothes, and a runway-type room with mirrors at all angles. Kageyama waited in the mirrored room as Hinata tried on the suits (and insisted he wear the shoes with them).</p><p>“Holy shit, Kageyama,” Hinata blurted as he walked out of the dressing room. The suit fit him perfectly, hugging his shoulders and fitting his waist perfectly. Compared to the typical baggy clothes Hinata wore, this may as well have been underwear, the way it fit him so intimately. The suit itself was a rich navy blue, so deep that it would look black to the eye. Kageyama couldn’t bear to look at him as the ginger strutted down the hallway, radiating confidence.</p><p>“I totally feel like a mob boss in this. Shit, I’d be intimidated if I saw someone wearing this,” the smaller man proclaimed, checking himself out in the various mirrors.</p><p>“You look like you’re going to a private school’s prom,” Kageyama pointed out. Kageyama didn’t say that he felt like Hinata’s mom at that moment.</p><p>“I’ll go try on the other one!” Hinata said, scurrying off to the dressing room again. Hinata, being hyper excited about the whole excursion, was talking Kageyama’s ear off every time they were near each other. Now was no exception, as Hinata rambled on and on about how cool he felt, and how amazing this whole gang thing was. Kageyama shushed him harshly, yelling at him for not knowing when to shut up.</p><p>Hinata walked out again, this time, the suit fitting so naturally on him it was a wonder it wasn’t made custom. It was similar to the last, but the color was a deep, rich maroonish purple that matched the shoes perfectly. The color made the rosy blush on Hinata’s cheeks stand out strong, and his hair seemed to radiate even more color than usual.</p><p>Kageyama really liked that color.</p><p>Everything about Hinata stood out at that moment, from his build, to the intricate color of his eyes, to the way his lips curled up at the sight of himself. This time, Kageyama couldn’t look away.</p><p>“Now how about this one!” Hinata emphasized, modeling the suit for Kageyama. </p><p>“I-it looks nice,” Kageyama said, practically choking on the words. That tiny little slip up would probably keep him up at night. “You’ve gotta have that one.”</p><p>Hinata beamed at the raven-haired man, his smile rivaling the brightness of the sun. And since Kageyama was out of control, and the money wasn’t coming out of his pocket, they’d walked out with both suits.</p><p>By that point, it was growing late, as the sun was setting and the crowds were clearing out. Both Kageyama and Hinata’s arms were straining against the weight of their haul, and they mutually decided to call it a night and drop everything off. They dumped the bags in the backseat of Kageyama’s car and climbed in themselves to discuss the rest of their evening.</p><p>“Thank you for today,” Hinata said shyly, not meeting Kageyama’s eye as he buckled himself in.</p><p>“Don’t thank me, thank Sugawara,” he responded. Though if he was being honest, he owed Suga his thanks, too. Kageyama had just as much of a good time as the fireball beside him.</p><p>“No, not just for the stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I owe him my life for all of it,” Hinata chuckled. “But thank you for going with me. I had fun.” Hinata smiled up at Kageyama who averted his gaze almost instantaneously.</p><p>“Where to next?” was all Kageyama could say in response to the genuine remarks.</p><p>“Next?”</p><p>“It’s still early, and I’ve got an unlimited card in my pocket,” Kageyama said, pulling out of the lot. “This is just as much fun for me as it is for you.”</p><p>“Show me around the city,” Hinata said, settling against the seat. “Take me to your favorite spots.”</p><p>Despite Kageyama’s earlier claims that this certainly was not a date, he was now rethinking that notion. He could have passed the mall off as a necessary errand, but this was now transitioning into something much more personal, much more intimate. Hinata was basically asking him to open up, to spend this time alone with him for the sake of something other than the crows. Officially, Hinata was asking Kageyama to engage in non-gang related activity, and there was nothing Kageyama could do to internally justify it as such.</p><p>Still, Kageyama couldn’t bring himself to say no.</p><p>Not because he liked Hinata, though, not at all. Simply for the sake of not being alone. </p><p>He knew just the place to start, somewhere that would likely pique Hinata’s interest. Kageyama drove them along the city roads, the familiar and comfortable silence enveloping them yet again. He spared a glance over to the ball of sunshine, who didn’t even seem to register the man looking at him. Hinata had such a peaceful look upon his face, it never even occurred to Kageyama that Hinata just might enjoy their time together as much as he did.</p><p>They parked outside of a storied building, a staircase leading to the entrance. It was littered with glowing neon signs advertising various businesses, but they’d only be attending one that night: the arcade.</p><p>Hinata’s eyes glowed under the reflection of the neon lights. “Where are we going?” he’d asked, referring to the several stores and businesses inside the building.</p><p>“You’ll see when we get there,” Kageyama said, leading the way up to the common area. Hinata trailed close behind, not putting up an argument. Kageyama led him to the arcade, a small, darkly lit room, filled to the brim with various games. Hinata laughed, looking up to Kageyama with unabashed curiosity in his eyes. </p><p>“You like the arcade?” he asked, unable to hold back giggles.</p><p>“What, is that so surprising?” Kageyama asked, scowling. “Is it so hard to believe that I can have fun?”</p><p>“Uh, yeah,” Hinata said, socking Kageyama in the arm. “You’re always so, ‘harumph harumph! I hate cute things and I enjoy being mysterious!’ Of course it’s hard to believe you’d hang out at an arcade in your free time!”</p><p>“To be fair, I don’t hang out here in my free time, I’m a grown ass adult. I used to come here as a kid a lot, with my sister.”</p><p>“Well, now you’re a grown ass adult, and you brought your grown ass adult friend here with you.” Kageyama couldn’t fight Hinata’s logic, so he merely scoffed and walked in.</p><p>Hinata marveled at the range of games available while Kageyama bought coins at the front desk for them. Hinata managed to convince Kageyama to play skee ball for five rounds, only three of which Kageyama won, driving Hinata insane.</p><p>	Hinata then challenged Kageyama to a few rounds of a basketball game, which Hinata promptly beat him at. He rubbed it mercilessly in Kageyama’s face, who then bet that Hinata wouldn’t beat him at Dance Dance Revolution.</p><p>	“Shut the hell up. Dance Dance? You think you can beat me in Dance Dance?” Hinata gasped.</p><p>	“I was a pro back in the day,” Kageyama said matter-of-factly. It was true.</p><p>	So, they played Dance Dance Revolution. Kageyama was, in fact, heavily distraught when Hinata beat him, with a lengthy margin no less. Hinata’s speed and coordination far outweighed Kageyama’s and Kageyama was no slowpoke either. Hinata had jumped up and down like a little kid, laughing and teasing Kageyama about how horribly he’d lost. Kageyama was filled with embarrassment at having so confidently challenged, and lost to Hinata.</p><p>	“We’ve only got enough tokens for one more game. To secure my delicate ego, I’m going to crush you at this shooter game.”</p><p>	“So you can pretend the targets are me, huh? You’re not smooth,” Hinata teased, already skipping away towards the machine. Kageyama couldn’t bite back a smile. Hinata was so relentless it was admirable. Not in that way, though, of course.</p><p>	They situated themselves at the booth, the air tense with competition between them. Kageyama was sporting a rage-inspired case of tunnel vision; all he knew was that he had to beat Hinata here, he couldn’t lose now, lest his pride be squashed mercilessly by the smaller man. They queued up the game, picking their characters and the game map, and settled in for a long match.</p><p>	The both of them were quite skilled at the game, shooting with clean precision and easy movements. Occasionally, one would shoot and insult at the other, to which the receiver would quickly retort something smart. They were so engrossed in the game, they didn’t notice their audience.</p><p>	Hinata was falling behind, his accuracy getting lower as he got flustered trying to catch up. Kageyama took advantage of the break in Hinata’s streak, his score getting higher, and higher-</p><p>	“If you hold this button and that button at the same time, you’ll stabilize your shot,” a voice said. It came from Hinata’s other side, timid and quiet. Kageyama spared a glance over to the unidentified voice, wondering who had the nerve to interrupt their rhythm.</p><p>	“Really? Thanks!” Hinata said to the man. His cat-like eyes quickly flitted to Hinata and away again, an embarrassed look donned on his face. Kageyama reasoned that the man knew it wasn’t his place to step in and help Hinata now.</p><p>	“Hey, that’s not fair, you got help,” Kageyama growled, his lead growing shorter and shorter and Hinata used the man’s advice.</p><p>	“You didn’t need the help,” the man said. Kageyama scowled deeply, not sparing the man another glance as he attempted to maintain his lead. His shots became less and less steady as the fire of competition overtook his senses. Shit, if only he’d seen what buttons the man was referring to.</p><p>	The game ended moments later, securing Kageyama’s pride as the victor. He huffed a sigh, his palms sweaty and his heart racing. He’d gotten embarrassingly caught up in the game, but at least he’d won. Hinata was frowning, but suddenly became preoccupied with chatting up his new friend.</p><p>	“Ah, thanks for your help anyway,” Hinata said. The man simply shrugged.</p><p>	“It’s no big deal. I used to play that game a lot when it first came in.”</p><p>	“Do you come here often? It’s my first time.”</p><p>	“Yeah, it’s kind of embarrassing but I spend a lot of my time with games,” the man admitted. “I kinda figured you were new. I’d never seen you here before.”</p><p>	“I used to come as a kid,” Kageyama said, interjecting into the conversation. He found himself growing possessive over Hinata. Not in that way, of course, just looking out for a co-worker of sorts. “Figured I’d show him a good game.”</p><p>	“Ah, that’s nice,” the man said. “I’m Kozume Kenma,” the man said. He didn’t extend his hand for a shake, nor did he more formally bow. </p><p>	“Shoyo Hinata! This is Tobio Kageyama,” Hinata said. Kageyama didn’t really understand why Hinata was so quick to just hand out their names like that, but Kageyama wasn’t all for social hour. He figured it was time to remove themselves from the situation.</p><p>	“Sorry, Kenma, but we’ve got to get going now,” Kageyama said, looking to Hinata with stern eyes. He didn’t need Hinata to fight back now, and he made that quite clear in his gaze.</p><p>	“Ah, that’s okay,” Kenma said, eyes trained to the ground. “It was nice to meet you both,” he said.</p><p>	“Wait! I-I’m sorry if this is weird, but d’you think I could get your number?” Hinata asked. Kageyama physically felt a blow to his stomach at the question, but wasn’t so sure why? What was going on?</p><p>	“Uh, yeah. I guess so,” Kenma said, reluctantly handing his phone to Hinata to put his number in.</p><p>	“We should meet up sometime! Play some games together,” Hinata said, inputting his number in Kenma’s phone. Kageyama didn’t miss how Hinata put a smiley face next to his contact name. It borderline made his blood boil.</p><p>	“Okay. I’ll text you,” Kenma said, taking his phone back. The group waved goodbye to each other and parted ways, with Kageyama leading Hinata back to the car.</p><p>	“Hey, we never even traded our tickets in!” Hinata complained, referring to the tickets they won after each game.</p><p>	“Next time, then.” Kageyama said, not thinking too much about the words he was saying. He was too busy hyperfocusing on Kozume Kenma, and Hinata’s bluntness.</p><p>	“Next time, huh?” Hinata said. “Next time I won’t go so easy on you.”</p><p> </p><p>	It finally hit Kageyama what he’d just insinuated. A next time at the arcade with Hinata, to which Hinata had gladly accepted. His demeanor softened, if only slightly at the concept of being with Hinata like this another time. So, he chose to ignore their run in with Kenma in favor of spending the rest of the night, just the two of them.</p><p>	“Where to now?” Hinata said. Kageyama was pleased that Hinata wasn’t done with their night either.</p><p>	“My favorite ramen place,” Kageyama said, starting the car.</p><p>	“Ooh! Sounds good.”</p><p>	It wasn’t too far off from the arcade. Kageyama and his sister would often walk during nicer weather, but Kageyama didn’t feel like doing that tonight in the cold depths of winter, so they drove on for a short while before arriving at the hole-in-the-wall establishment.</p><p>	They walked in, situating themselves at a booth decently far back from the crowded main room. They settled in and placed their orders.</p><p>	They often sat in that comfortable silence, but Kageyama felt like he owed Hinata a change from that. He knew Hinata was so lively and conversational, and Kageyama wanted to prove to Hinata that he could be that way too. He felt guilty that Hinata’s perception of him was so bland and uninviting, and after the day they’d spent together, something tugged at Kageyama to change that.</p><p>	“My sister used to bring me here, when we were kids,” Kageyama said, his deep voice cutting through the air. Hinata looked up at him with those glowing eyes.</p><p>	“You talk about her a lot. Do you see her often anymore?” Hinata asked. The question was all in good nature, but it dug a pit in the bottom of Kageyama’s stomach.</p><p>	“Ah, not exactly,” Kageyama said. He suddenly wished he hadn’t started a conversation that would be so emotional. Still, he felt like he owed Hinata this honesty, this chance. He hated getting involved with people, but he couldn’t help but feel like Hinata only had the best intentions. He could see it in the tilt of his head, the quizzical way his eyebrows pinched together, in the way his eyes displayed any emotions he was feeling. He could see the sincerity rolling off of the ginger’s body in waves, and he knew that he had nothing to lose except for the respect of the smaller man. That wasn’t something he wanted to do, not when Kageyama knew the bond they shared was something that he’d never experienced before.</p><p>	Even if Hinata didn’t know it yet, Kageyama did. They were inadvertently tied together, and Kageyama wasn’t going to let anything happen to that bond unless he could make it stronger.</p><p>	“She passed a while ago. Maybe two or three years now, I don’t know.” That was a lie. Kageyama knew for certain that it had been two years, ten months, and six days. Not that he was counting.</p><p>	“Oh… I’m really sorry, I didn’t know,” Hinata said, sinking into himself.</p><p>	“Don’t apologize, I know you didn’t know,” Kageyama said, not wanting to make Hinata feel guilty for a simple question. “We were really close when I was younger. Our parents.... They weren’t exactly stellar.” Kageyama started to worry that he shouldn’t spill his entire life story like this, but Hinata was leaning forward on the table, listening with rapt attention. So, he kept going.</p><p>	“My sister basically raised me. After my grandfather passed, that is. I basically followed in her footsteps in everything she did. It’s how I ended up with the crows, actually.”</p><p>	“Your sister was a crow?” Hinata asked.</p><p>	“Oh, no, she wasn’t. But she was friends with Kiyoko, at the time. She and Kiyoko were friends from highschool, and after knowing Kiyoko for so long, she started to notice when she started acting differently. Kiyoko had told my sister about the crows, and my sister knew better than to get involved with it. But she was too naive to realize that just knowing that information was enough to involve her.</p><p>	“My sister started dating Tooru Oikawa, Aoba Johsai. He was everything she could have ever wanted. He was the textbook definition of the perfect guy. Hell, even I liked the guy,” Kageyama admitted. “Little did she know he was just using her for information on Kiyoko. My sister would cry to him about being worried about her. My sister would tell him what was going on with Kiyoko, how she wanted to help but couldn’t do anything.</p><p>	“Oikawa took all of that information and used it to go after Kiyoko. Luckily for her, she hadn’t told my sister enough to get her in trouble, but my sister was wracked with guilt for what she’d done. She didn’t know who Oikawa was, and she didn’t know that by talking to him, and inviting him into her life, she’d inadvertently put her best friend in more danger than she’d been in to start. Not to mention, she was in love with Oikawa. Desperately, and irrevocably in love with him.</p><p>	“It broke her. It completely and totally broke her down. She wasn’t the same after that. She stopped going out, she lost her spark, and eventually-” Kageyama couldn’t finish the story. He was overtaken by emotion; his heart pounded with grief of the loss of his other half, and his body was heated with rage for Oikawa Tooru, the one who’d caused it all.</p><p>	“Fuck, Kageyama,” Hinata said. Kageyama looked up from his hands and met the ginger’s eyes. They were welling with tears, something even Kageyama’s couldn’t do.</p><p>	“At her funeral I met with Kiyoko. I told her I wanted in. She pushed me away, refusing to lose another Kageyama sibling. I didn’t stop, though, I wanted in. I wanted to get my revenge for her. I wanted to protect her the way she always did for me. I wanted to make Oikawa regret the choices he made. I still do. That’s why I’m still here.”</p><p> </p><p>	Hinata couldn’t muster any words. His eyes were still filled with emotion, threatening to spill over. So, he just nodded fervently. </p><p>	“I get it,” Hinata said. Kageyama knew that Hinata most definitely didn’t know that kind of pain, but he didn’t feel like being petty. He knew that it wasn't meant like that. “Have you seen him since?” </p><p>	Kageyama shook his head in dissent. He hadn’t seen his chestnut-haired senior since their last confrontation. The one where Kageyama had sworn to take Oikawa down and where Oikawa had merely scoffed in his face.</p><p>	“The ring you took, way back on the bus. That’s what I was going to use to find him.”</p><p>	“If you know where he works, then don’t you know where he is?” Kageyama did know that Oikawa was with Aoba Johsai. But Kageyama didn’t want to take town Aoba Johsai, he wanted to take down Tooru Oikawa.</p><p>	“I want to get him alone, but that’s not something I can arrange. I’ve got to time everything on a whim.”</p><p>	Their ramen came and they ate with heavy hearts. Kageyama felt guilty for ruining a perfectly good day with his sob story, so he changed gears as though it had never happened.</p><p>	“You came from Miyagi, right?” Kageyama asked lightheartedly.</p><p>	“Yup! Just a tiny mountain village, small town kid,” Hinata said. A light smile played on his lips at the remembrance of his hometown.</p><p>	“I lived with my mother and sister. My dad wasn’t exactly around. It was alright though, I didn’t ever really miss him or anything,” Hinata assured after seeing Kageyama shrink a bit. “I don’t know, my life isn’t really interesting. I just lived a boring happy little life. Went to school, played volleyball, got bored, came here.”</p><p>	“You played volleyball?” Kageyama asked, astounded. “You’re way too small.”</p><p>	“Hey!” Hinata exclaimed. “I might be short but I can fly! I swear, you shoulda seen me! I was flyin’ around the court like it was no one’s business!” Kageyama snorted at the image of tiny Hinata jumping that high in the air. Somehow, he didn’t doubt that it was possible.</p><p>	“It was boring there, though. Same old people, same old places. So, I came here in hopes I’d find more.”</p><p>	“Have you? Found more, I mean?” </p><p>	Hinata pondered the question carefully.</p><p>	“I have, I think. With you all. I don’t know where I’d be without it.” It was just as Kageyama suspected. He and Hinata were two sides of the same coin, the light and dark side of the same moon. They were one in the same, and Kageyama felt more grateful now than ever that they’d found each other.</p><p>	They ate the rest of their meals in amiable silence, chatting casually about more lighthearted topics before they eventually left. </p><p>	Kageyama knew the night was likely coming to a close, but everything in him protested going back home. He racked his brain for reasons to stay out, a reason to keep Hinata around. He felt stupid doing the mental gymnastics he was, but doing it helped him get around the obvious reason why any of this was happening at all.</p><p>	“Let’s go get drinks,” Kageyama blurted before he could regret anything. “I mean, as long as that’s okay with you,” he added quickly. Hinata beamed up at him, his breathy laugh turning to vapor in the cold.</p><p>	“Promise to buckle me in when I can’t do it myself?” Kageyama blushed and turned away.</p><p>	“Yes, I promise not to let you die as a result of your own stupidity.” Hinata laughed, and the pair walked to the nearest bar.</p><p>	It was quite stupid, Kageyama thought, how easily it was to entertain Hinata. They didn’t have to be doing anything worthwhile, and no matter what, Hinata always looked like he was living the dream. The bar was crowded and shitty, and the liquor tasted like straight piss, but Hinata still smiled and laughed and marveled at his surroundings as though he’d never been anywhere so luxurious before. Kageyama didn’t quite feel the same, but just watching Hinata have fun lifted Kageyama’s spirits considerably.</p><p>So, they drank the piss liquor, bonded over their shared love of team sports, and let the night carry on without a care in the world. Neither of them got drunk, or even really tipsy. The booze was so watered down and gross that they couldn’t stand to do anything more than nurse the same glasses they’d started with. Regardless, the atmosphere and their company made the night unforgettable. At least, to Kageyama it was.</p><p>They’d probably spent around two hours in the bar, making it close to 11pm already. Both Hinata and Kageyama were tired, and mutually decided to call it a night. Kageyama, despite himself, had different plans.</p><p>“Now, as I promised, I won’t let your dumbass die,” he said, reaching across Hinata to buckle him in. </p><p>“Hey, I’m perfectly sober tonight,” Hinata giggled. Kageyama smirked as he realized that despite this, he wasn’t fighting Kageyama back.</p><p>“Maybe so, but I don’t trust your abilities.” After securing Hinata, he worried about himself and started the car.</p><p>“Do you wanna come over to mine?” Kageyama asked. He hadn’t even realized that he’d said it out loud until it was too late. He practically kicked himself right then and there, and he felt the easy smile fade off of his face instantaneously. How fucking STUPID could be be? Even Hinata’s face blanched as he met Kageyama’s eye. God, now even Hinata thought he went too far, this was all too weird and maybe he was being weird, and-</p><p>“O-okay.”</p><p>Kageyama’s mouth was so dry that he didn’t trust himself to verbally respond. He merely nodded and began his drive home. </p><p>“I just wanted to tell you, I don’t live in the city. If that’s okay with you.”</p><p>“Wait, you don’t?” Hinata asked, swiveling in his seat. “Where do you live?”</p><p>“Just outside. The commute isn’t long, but I just wanted to let you know before we got there, in case you were uncomfortable.”</p><p>“No, no, that’s fine it’s just…” Hinata paused to think about his phrasing. “Isn’t getting me out of the way? For meetings with the crows and all?” Truth be told, it was out of the way. It was totally and entirely out of the way, but Kageyama didn’t mind the drive. </p><p>“I’d much rather drive you than force you to find a way there on your own. Besides, I don’t usually drive, and I like to have the excuse.”</p><p>“Ah, still, I’m sorry I make you go around like that for me,” the ginger said apologetically.</p><p>Kageyama didn’t feel like playing a game of pity, so he let Hinata’s unnecessary apology hang in the air between them. The drive wasn’t long, much to Hinata’s relief. He’d never brought anyone to his house like this before, save for a few of the crows. Hinata’s awe was written clearly on his face. He stared at the manor as if it was straight from a fairy tale.</p><p>“Holy fuck,” he whispered. “What the hell do your parents do?”</p><p>“Big tech.”</p><p>The car pulled into the garage, and the pair made their way inside the house. Hinata’s jaw was dropped the entire time, unable to comprehend such formality.</p><p>“It’s just me here, nowadays. I don’t have people over often.”</p><p>“Why not?!” Hinata exclaimed, still marvelling over the sleekness of the kitchen. “This is like, THE house to host parties and stuff!”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t really do parties,” Kageyama admitted. What Kageyama didn’t say was that he felt like people often took advantage of him because of his family money. People were greedy like that, and he didn’t want to let people in when they were only after the luxuries he could give them. Ironically enough, Hinata was the only person to try and take some of that money for himself, yet, Hinata was the only person Kageyama had let into his world. </p><p>“I’ve got a movie room downstairs if you wanna pick something,” Kageyama offered. “And a change of clothes. Anything you need.”</p><p>So, Hinata showered, changed into pajamas (that were way too big on him, though Kageyama found it oddly endearing), and the pair settled into recliner chairs in the basement. Hinata had chosen “Back to the Future” as their first movie of the night. They settled against the seats, bowls of popcorn and candies set between them. They were about half way into the movie when Kageyama started to doze off. </p><p>“Pst, Kageyama, are you still awake?” He was now.</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Remember how you said you don’t have sleepovers?” </p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Back when we were forced to stay in the clubroom together. Yknow, the night you kidnapped me.” Ah, that night.</p><p>“Oh… yeah I guess.”</p><p>“We’re having a sleepover right now.”</p><p>“Huh. Yeah, we are.”</p><p>“Ha. Told you I’d figure you out one day.”</p><p>“What makes you think you’ve got me all figured out yet?”</p><p>“Well, not all figured out. But you keep me around, and maybe one day I will.”</p><p>Kageyama hoped to god so. He hoped he’d keep Hinata around for a while. He hoped Hinata would keep wanting to be around. He hoped he’d finally have a person to trust and care for, and-</p><p>But he didn’t feel that way about Hinata. He was getting too far carried away.</p><p>But hours later, even after the credits had rolled and the next queued up movie was playing and Hinata had long fallen asleep, the raven-haired man looked down at the ginger’s peaceful face. He looked at the pout of his lips, the curl of his eyelashes, and the dash of freckles across his cheeks. </p><p>There was something about Hinata that made him different, and Kageyama was tired of doing the mental gymnastics to try and avoid the obvious conclusion.</p><p>That night, Kageyama slept like a doll, knowing that it was because the void beside him was filled, and by Shoyo Hinata no less.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Literally I am so excited to post this chapter its insane my hands are literally shaking as I type this wowza. This is my longest chapter to date and of COURSE it's pure KageHina yearning. I really hope you all like this chapter because I'm super proud of the way their relationship is building.</p><p>Next chapter I'm gonna try something different! Next chapter is going to be a compilation of the crows and some one-shots of them and their adventures in the gang. That should be coming out soon.</p><p>THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR READING AHHHHH</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Interlude Pt. 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This chapter is a set of four different one-shots! I wanted to include some of the crows' shenanigans that I wouldn't otherwise put in the plot. Yes, this could be considered a filler chapter. Enjoy!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There were rumors circulating the group that something was going on between Sugawara and Daichi, and Yuu Nishinoya was going to make it his duty to find out.</p><p>	He’d seen them sneaking around the equipment closet, offering to stay behind to ‘clean up’ after a night of drinking, and lately, Daichi kept needing to talk to Suga about ‘business affairs.’ It wasn’t abnormal for them to pair up and do everything together, but lately there had been a sense of attachment between the two that hadn’t been there prior. They seemed far more intimate in the way they dealt with each other. He wasn’t the only one who’d notice the change, either. Multiple witnesses had come forward saying they’d noticed the same things.</p><p>	There was no rule that said you couldn’t date another crow, so technically there was no harm being done. That, and Sugawara and Daichi made a great pair. It was so painfully obvious that there was something going on between the two, and for someone who preached total transparency, Suga was being quite opaque about the whole thing.</p><p>	“What are you talking about, Noya?” he’d ask, laughing at the smaller man. “What do you mean ‘something?’ There’s nothing going on, dumbass.”</p><p>	But Nishinoya wasn’t stupid and he had two eyes and he knew what he saw. He saw the way that Daichi looked at Sugawara. He saw the way that Sugawara gravitated towards him. It was so incredibly futile to deny it. Alas, no matter how hard Nishinoya poked and prodded, Sugawara refused to give anything up. </p><p>	So, he enlisted the help of his trusty friend, Asahi, who seemed to have a thing for getting people to open up. Perhaps it was his teddy-bear nature.</p><p>	“You’ve seen it too, right?” Nishinoya prodded, referring to the two suspected lovebirds.</p><p>	“I mean… I guess…” Asahi said, embarrassed by the gossipy nature of the conversation.</p><p>	“Come on, don’t you want to know if it’s true?”</p><p>	“Yeah, of course I do, but it’s none of our business,” the softie said firmly.</p><p>	“Psh, fuck privacy!” Nishinoya exclaimed. “Come on, if we were dating, do you really think Suga would spare us privacy?” Asahi had blushed violently at the analogy but the point had come across loud and clear.</p><p>	“Fine, fine. But you better have a plan because I’m not going in blindly.” Nishinoya didn’t care that the agreement was reluctant, he was just happy to have a partner-in-crime. He launched himself at the bigger man, latching onto him as if he was some kind of animal. Asahi was caught off guard, as any normal person would be in that situation, but he laughed as Nishinoya wriggled back and forth making Asahi’s balance tip side to side.</p><p>	Nishinoya discussed his foolproof plan with Asahi, who was still hesitant to meddle in his superiors’ personal lives. Still, Nishinoya hooked him up with a hidden microphone, and himself up with a receiver, and sent Asahi on his way.</p><p>	Noya decided the best way to stay inconspicuous would be to hide himself in the clubroom, where no one was sure to go. He and Asahi split ways unceremoniously, Asahi heading up to the equipment closet where Suga’s office was, and Nishinoya trying his best to nonchalantly get into the clubroom. On his way out, he saw Tanaka desperately trying to chat up Kiyoko.</p><p>	“Pst! Tanaka!” he called. The whisper yell reached Tanaka, but also reached Kiyoko, who looked quizzically at the pair. She decided whatever it was couldn’t have been worth the trouble and left to go talk to Yachi. Nishinoya was silently proud of himself for sparing Tanaka from yet another rejection.</p><p>	“Sup, little dude?” Tanaka greeted, slinging an arm around Noya’s shoulder.</p><p>	“I’m getting the goods,” Nishinoya whispered, turning to face the door to casually saunter out.</p><p>	“You’re getting laid?!” Tanaka exclaimed, much louder than he should have. Nishinoya wasn’t facing the rest of the group to see everyone’s heads turn to look at the pair.</p><p>	“Congratulations, dude! Damn, it’s like watching my firstborn grow up,” Tanaka whimpered, wiping fake tears from his eyes. Nishinoya busted through the doors, taking Tanaka with him, figuring it was better to go ahead and make an epic exit than face the inevitable queries. Once the doors shut behind them, Nishinoya reached up and slapped Tanaka.</p><p>	“No, dumbass, what the hell?! Even if I was, you think I’d want everyone to know like that?” Truth be told, if Nishinoya was getting laid he’d totally want everyone to know. For the sake of seriousness, though, he reprimanded Tanaka’s actions.</p><p>	“Then what are the goods?” Tanaka asked, rubbing his face where Noya’s hand had made contact.</p><p>	“I got Asahi to do a little meddling and I’ve got the receiver right here to listen in,” Nishinoya said, waggling the device in the air.</p><p>	“No way you think that’s actually gonna work,” Tanaka said, fighting back a fit of laughter.</p><p>	“I’m gonna find out,” Nishinoya said, practically skipping towards the clubroom. “You coming with me?”</p><p>	“Hella!”</p><p>	So, the pair scampered away to the club room where they sat patiently awaiting Asahi’s confirmation that the mission was a-go. Shortly thereafter, it was.</p><p>	They listened closely as Asahi opened the door to the equipment closet and made idle conversation with Daichi and Suga. Nishinoya silently prayed that he wouldn’t end up hearing something that he definitely wasn’t supposed to. Spying on another crow was bad news, but this was the exception, obviously. After a few minutes of idle chatting, Asahi broke the question.</p><p>	“So, I know what everyone’s been saying lately, and I kinda feel bad that they’re making all of these rumors about you guys’ personal lives. I can try and get them to stop, if you’d want,” Asahi said sympathetically.</p><p>	“Ah, you’ve heard it too?” Daichi sighed. “Man, I thought we’d gotten it mostly contained.”</p><p>	“You’re dealing with a bunch of rowdy criminals, Dai,” Suga chuckled. Nishinoya mocked a fake gasp and Tanaka clutched at his chest dramatically. Technically, they were all criminals, but it still stung to hear someone say it outright like that. Even if it was your criminal boss.</p><p>	“I don’t know how you plan to get them to stop,” Suga said softly. For a mere second Noya even felt a little bad. “They’re so certain they’ve got it right.”</p><p>	“Do they?” Asahi asked tentatively.  A very tense moment of silence passed, where Noya could only hear his and Tanaka’s heartbeats echoing through the room. </p><p>	“I-I mean, this stays between us, obviously. And regardless of the answer I intend to shut it down, I just…” Asahi took a shaky breath. “You guys are my closest friends and I’d hate for you not to trust me simply because of who we work around.” His argument was so heartfelt that even Nishinoya felt compelled to spill his guts. An emotional manipulator master, that Asahi was.</p><p>	“We are not,” Daichi said plainly. Nishinoya and Tanaka didn’t hear the rest of the conversation, as they were too busy tearing up the clubroom in a dissatisfied rampage.</p><p>	“What. The. FUCK!” Nishinoya yelled, pounding his fist on the locker doors. “Are you fucking kidding me? Is this a joke? They practically slobber over each other but there’s nothing going on? God, I need a girlfriend!”</p><p>	“Dude. Dude. I swear to god. If I don’t get a hug in the next week I can’t guarantee I’m gonna last much longer,” Tanaka said, laying flat on his back as Nishinoya fumed.</p><p>	After a few more minutes of stampeding, Nishinoya came and sat beside Tanaka yet again to listen to the remainder of the conversation.</p><p>	“-and I promise I’ll get Nishinoya especially to shut his mouth,” Asahi finished.</p><p>	“You really think you can do that?” Suga asked.</p><p>	“Not at all. But I’m willing to try. I feel like it’s getting totally awkward just listening to it, I can’t even imagine being in your position right now.”</p><p>	“We appreciate your help, Asahi. Thank you for coming to us about it,” Daichi said.</p><p>	No more conversation followed as the sounds of the door shutting behind Asahi closed the topic fully. Nishinoya and Tanaka scrambled to their feet, rushing out of the clubroom to meet Asahi in the middle.</p><p>	“You heard it yourselves, they aren’t together,” Asahi said, depositing the recorder into Nishinoya’s hands.</p><p>	“Do you really believe that for one second, though?” Tanaka asked.</p><p>	“Meh. But we may never know. Good luck, guys,” Asahi said, returning to the gym without another word. Nishinoya and Tanaka were left sputtering outside, unsure of what to make of the exchange.</p><p>	“Dude. They’re totally getting some.”</p><p>	“But alas, history will say they were just co-mafia leaders.”</p><p> </p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>	Sugawara found it quite endearing that he and Daichi were so painfully obvious, but he found it even more endearing that the rest of the crows desperately wanted confirmation of that fact. It was almost as though they wanted Daichi and Suga to be a ‘thing’ more than they did.</p><p>	Of course, they had been a thing for a while, a good while too, for that fact. So long, that they were starting to get lazy with how they hid it, thus causing mass hysteria within the crows to get the ultimate proof.</p><p>	There had been several instances where Suga would rest his head carefully on Daichi’s shoulder, or where Daichi would guide Suga gently with a hand resting suggestively on his lower back. Many times, Daichi would link their pinky fingers if it could be hidden and steal kisses in fleeting moments. Suga’s touches would last just a moment too long, or smile just a little too softly, or they would spend just a bit too long discussing ‘the meeting topics for tonight.’</p><p>	Quite frankly, Suga didn’t care if they all suspected something. The only thing that mattered to him was that they didn’t start treating Daichi differently. Daichi was their leader, their lighthouse. If it broke the balance of power they had so well established, Sugawara would inevitably blame himself, and Suga couldn’t handle that kind of guilt. By the time Asahi had confronted them, they decided to never admit to their relationship as long they were both with the crows.</p><p>	It was now a few weeks later, and the winter was beginning the thaw as the weather got warmer. Spring was always a busy season for the crows as they prepared for the next phase of their expansion. Daichi and Sugawara had just finished up a meeting with them and were getting ready to part ways.</p><p>	“Those of you with a job this week, please come in tomorrow so we can plan for those specific events. If not, you’re always welcome, and you can begin to help us plan for more long term assignments,” Daichi announced. The crows all acknowledged his final speech and began to pack up and get ready to return to their homes for the night.</p><p>“You coming, guys?” Hinata asked, walking towards Kageyama to leave.</p><p>“Ah, no we’re gonna do some more last minute stuff tonight. You guys don’t worry,” Sugawara said smiling apologetically at the newest member. Hinata smiled brightly back, waving it off.</p><p>“No worries! Have a good night!” he exclaimed before he and Kageyama left together. Sugawara didn’t miss the wide-eyed exasperated look on Nishinoya’s face. That poor boy honestly needed to get a hobby, preferably one that didn’t include speculating on his boss’s love life.</p><p>“There an issue?” Sugawara asked sweetly, daring Nishinoya to speak up.</p><p>“Nope! Nuh uh! Not at all! Have a good night fellas!” He then turned abruptly and grabbed Tanaka, who was trying desperately to chat Kiyoko up, by the wrist stormed out of the gym again. Daichi could only chuckle at watching Nishinoya struggle to uncover their secret, but they knew he’d never actually be able to do it.</p><p>After another fifteen minutes or so, the gym was empty and the lot was void of cars, meaning the entire property was theirs and theirs alone. Daichi and Sugawara headed to the equipment closet, taking the stairs up to Daichi’s office.</p><p>“Ah, those kids. What ever will we do with them,” Suga sighed, shutting the door behind them.</p><p>“God only knows, Suga,” Daichi said exasperatedly, collapsing into his chair. Suga strolled over casually, and fell into Daichi’s lap as if he belonged there.</p><p>“You think everything’s gonna go well this year?” Suga asked, rubbing his hands lovingly over Daichi’s shoulders. God, his shoulders were so nice.</p><p>“I do. Really, I do,” Daichi said with a smile. “We’ve got the passion for it. That’s the most important thing. I honestly think we’re doing things just the way they’re supposed to be done.” Suga’s smile shone like beams of sunlight down on Daichi’s face. He couldn’t stand it anymore; he hated waiting to hold Suga in his arms, but the payoff was always more satisfying than anything else in life.</p><p>Daichi wrapped his arms around Suga’s waist, pulling him in closer. Suga giggled and placed his hands gingerly on either side of Daichi’s face. Daichi loved staring into those coffee-colored eyes. </p><p>Daichi leaned in, lips meeting Sugawara’s gently. He never failed to cherish the way that Suga’s lips warmed his on impact, the way that his stomach fluttered like the drop of a roller coaster.  He loved the way that Suga’s hands held his jaw as though it was the most fragile thing in the world, as though he was the most valuable treasure. He adored the way Suga’s lips slotted perfectly against his, as though they were meant to be there and nowhere else.</p><p>And of course, Sugawara felt the same. He loved nothing more than being able to become putty in Daichi’s hands, melting into him as though they were one in the same. He loved being held, supported, needed. Suga never felt more at home than when he was pressed close to Daichi, sharing the same air and hearts beating in sync. Nothing could possibly be more perfect than the two of them together.</p><p>Sugawara pulled away, flooded with romantic emotions and overwhelmed by the love that swelled in his chest. He gingerly pressed kisses all over Daichi’s face, on the tip of his nose, in between his eyebrows, on both cheeks and his chin. He kissed Daichi’s jaw, his neck, and every inch of his forehead. Daichi chuckled at the flow of affection. Suga’s hands landed in Daichi’s cropped hair, his fingers stroking through it in a tranquilizing manner. </p><p>“I like being your little secret,” Sugawara said scandalously. Daichi threw his head back in a hearty laugh, which made Suga’s heartbeat stop in time. </p><p>“I love that you’re my little secret,” he said in response, his hands traveling back down to Suga’s waist.</p><p>Daichi pulled Suga in close again, hugging him so close that Daichi honestly was upset that they couldn’t truly just melt into each other. His hand ran through Suga’s silver locks lovingly, and he pressed soft kisses into the crook of Suga’s neck. </p><p>“I need you with me always, Sugawara,” Daichi said softly. It was an unexpected confession, causing Suga to pull back slightly from the hug. Suga looked at him quizically, though the rose blush on his cheeks told Daichi that the message had gotten across quite clearly.</p><p>“I never want to go through a day without you. I don’t think I could. You’re everything to me. My rock. I just…” Daichi began to get much too sentimental to continue.</p><p>“Hey, please don’t worry, okay?” Suga said, holding Daichi’s face to meet his eyes. “I’m not going anywhere. I don’t plan on ever going anywhere, if that’s okay with you.” His smile was sweeter than honey and his eyes searched Daichi’s with a gentle firmness that only proved his determination. Daichi wasn’t honestly worried that Suga was going to go anywhere, he had no reason to believe so. He just wanted nothing more than to let Suga know just how much he meant to him.</p><p>“That’s more than okay with me,” Daichi admitted. He pulled Suga back into their embrace, wrapping his arms tightly and rubbing Suga’s back soothingly.</p><p>“I love you, Sugawara,” Daichi whispered softly. </p><p>Sugawara felt a wave of vulnerability crash over him. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes, despite his vehement protests. There was nothing more he wanted than to be this man’s rock, and no force on earth could ever possibly change his mind.</p><p>“I love you more, Daichi.”</p><p>Daichi knew this wasn’t the case. It simply wasn’t possible for Suga to love him more. Not with the way his stomach did flips at just seeing him. Not at the way his heart beat so hard it could be seen in the way his shirt rippled. Not at the way he could still feel Suga’s hands even after they’d long parted. It just simply wasn't possible.</p><p>He just found it endearing that Suga thought he could ever come close to the way he loved him.</p><p> </p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>	Hinata’s first interaction with Koganegawa had been much less than pleasant.</p><p>	They were both incredibly meek, unable to meet each other in the eye and talk about anything more than what they had to concerning the cafe. It was unbearable, almost, as if they’d found out the most earth-shattering fact about one another. Oh wait, they did.</p><p>	It was a particularly rough start as well, as that fateful day they were both on the opening shift. It was the two of them alone setting up the store for the morning rush at a godforsaken time in the morning that made them both delirious. Hinata had warmly greeted Koganegawa, forgetting what had taken place only days before. When Koganegawa just stared at him with wide eyes and a forced smile, it hit Hinata with the force of a freight train why everything was awkward- why it was different.</p><p>	They were going about their shift as per usual, avoiding eye contact and staying out of the radius of one another when Koganegawa slipped Hinata a note. It was so small and most likely would have slipped Hinata’s notice had it not been for the tension of the two men being so close to one another. </p><p>	“Meet me out back after shift change,” was all it said. Hinata felt his stomach drop out of his ass, but figured it was entirely necessary to comply. He was a crow, after all, and he carried their reputation with him.</p><p>	The rest of the shift was tantalizingly slow, and mortifyingly nerve-wracking. Hinata had to take two embarrassingly long bathroom breaks before the shift change, and his hands were getting sweaty fingerprints all over the clear plastic cups. His boss got on his ass for being ‘gross’ and for making the customers think they were all ‘sticky.’ Hinata had to wash his hands before handling any more supplies. Needless to say, his hands were raw from drying them with paper towels by the time he was ready to clock out.</p><p>	He nervously clocked out, saying goodbye to his co-workers and boss before exiting out the back door. Koganegawa was already there, and he didn’t look any more confident than Hinata felt. He cleared his throat softly to let Koganegawa know he was there. Kogane looked up sharply, his mouth agape but nothing coming out. </p><p>	“You told me to meet you?” he prompted. He thanked god that his voice didn’t crack.</p><p>	“Uh… yeah, yeah,” Kogane said nervously. His voice, sadly, did crack ever so slightly. “I, uh, I don’t know. That was kinda weird, what happened,” Koganegawa said, referring to their unintentional meeting that night.</p><p>	“Yeah, it was… certainly unexpected,” Hinata said, huffing out something like a laugh.</p><p>	“I just… I just wanted to say that I hope nothing gets weird between us, but I guess it already has, huh?” Kogane said, returning the half-hearted chuckle.</p><p>	“Yeah, it has,” Hinata admitted. Koganegawa looked down at his feet bashfully. It wasn’t his fault that things had gotten weird, but it wasn’t Hinata’s either. This was just something they were going to need to overcome, just like Sugawara had said.</p><p>	“But uh, I guess we’ll probably be seeing a lot more of each other now, huh?” Hinata said, trying to pull Kogane out of his head. “Yknow, if we’re allied now. God, that sounds weird to say,” Hinata said, more to himself than the larger man.</p><p>	“You’re right, Hinata,” Kogane admitted. “It’s just weird knowing we both had that going on and didn’t know. Not that I expected you to tell me, or anything. I just figured you’d know.”</p><p>	“How would I know?” Hinata asked.</p><p>	“Well, you’re so well known for tech and all. Intel. I figured you guys would have profiled everyone possible, and your guys have done stuff with us before. I don’t know.”</p><p>	Hinata thought back to how Daichi and Sugawara had primed him before his meeting with Nishinoya and Asahi. He hadn’t remembered hearing them talk about Koganegawa before.</p><p>	“They did, sorta,” Hinata said shyly. He wasn’t sure if this was information he was supposed to be giving out carelessly. “But I didn’t know about you, and I don’t think they did either. They only really talked about Futakuchi.”</p><p>	“Ah, I see.” Koganegawa met Hinata’s eye for the first time. “You’re a cool guy, yknow,” he said with a faint smile on his face. “I think this just might be fun.”</p><p>	Hinata beamed up at the taller man, unable to contain a laugh of relief. “I think it will be too.”</p><p>	There was something so incredibly satisfying about being a crow that Hinata hadn’t been able to put his finger on before. That was, of course, besides all of the advantages he’d already figured out, but this one was different. It was one he hadn’t considered before.</p><p>	It wasn’t just about being a part of the family of a gang, but it was about being a part of the community of underground crime as a whole. The feeling of being a part of something larger than yourself.</p><p>	It made Hinata feel infinite, and as he and Koganegawa traded laughs and warm smiles, he couldn’t help but feel like family was a much broader concept than he’d originally thought.</p><p> </p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>	Tadashi Yamaguchi was both insecure and bored, and that made for a dangerous combination. He never really liked his mossy green hair, and he hated his freckled complexion. He often caught himself picking apart his every insecurity, spending hours degrading the little things that were beyond his control. He knew that no one cared what he looked like, not even his girlfriend, Hitoka Yachi. That didn’t matter to him, though; he was his own worst enemy and he knew it. </p><p>	It had been a particularly bad week, consisting of hours of self-loathing and the desire to become something better than he was. He went through a small manic episode that convinced him he could turn his lanky limbs into something more sturdy in only a few days. Of course, by day two he had seen the err of his ways and decided to move on to something different.</p><p>	But what else could he do? His friend and coworker Yuuji Terushima had convinced him to get piercings.</p><p>	“I get piercings whenever I’m bored,” he’d said, sticking his tongue out to show Yamaguchi a stud planted in the center of it. Yamaguchi had winced, trying not to think about how painful it must have been to pierce the sensitive flesh.</p><p>	“I’m not piercing my tongue, you can’t convince me,” Yamaguchi resolved. He wanted change, not a source of nightmares.</p><p>	“Fine, fine,” Terushima said, leaning back to take in Yamaguchi’s appearance. Yamaguchi stared at him unconsciously as his appearance was analyzed by the other man.</p><p>	“You’d look good with piercings, though,” he admitted honestly. “At least on your ears. Your nose, too.” Yamaguchi nodded, deciding that those were much more doable than the tongue.</p><p>	So, two weeks later, Yamaguchi sat in the hot seat with tears smarting in the corners of his eyes at the repeated pinches he felt in his ears. Terushima stood in front of him, beaming proudly at his friend. Yamaguchi smiled weakly back at him, also proud of himself for getting it done. Overall, he’d gotten five piercings in his ears, and his septum was done.</p><p>	Terushima was yammering on about how good it looked, and how he was totally right to force Yamaguchi into doing this. The artist handed Yamaguchi a mirror so he could see his new additions. Yamaguchi’s eyes were watery, but now it was from more than just the pain; he really liked his new look, and it felt more like him than anything he’d seen in a long time.</p><p>	For a few days, it was all he could think about. Every time he caught himself looking in a mirror, it was like rediscovering himself. He’d smile, and pick apart his appearance, but now there was no malice behind his thoughts. That was, until he got bored yet again. This time, he needed something bigger. Something that could never ever change, something that would change him forever.</p><p>	That was how he ended up in a tattoo parlor with Terushima late on a Wednesday night.</p><p>	“I can’t believe this was your idea and not mine,” Terushima teased as Yamaguchi was being prepped for the pricks.</p><p>	“You’re just rubbing off on me,” Yamaguchi teased back. “You’re manipulating me into wanting to make bad decisions.”</p><p>	“Hey, it’s only a bad decision if the tattoo is ugly. Just don’t pick an ugly one and there’s nothing to worry about!” Yamaguchi kicked Terushima’s thigh. The alcohol was cold on his collarbone, and it reminded him strangely of getting the biggest, and longest, shot of his life.</p><p>	His hands were sweating profusely, and his voice suddenly escaped him as he saw the needle that would soon be marking up his body. The artist looked at him compassionately, and her gloved hand rested easily on the space between his collarbone and his chest.</p><p>	“You ready kid?” she asked with a light smile.</p><p>	“‘Spose so,” Yamaguchi said, though it came out much more like a whimper. He had no time to react, as the whirring of the needle flooded his ears and his skin went up in flames as it pierced him. His eyes bugged clear out of his head and as expected, tears overwhelmed him. His hands were clutching as his thigh and every muscle in his body was tensed up. God, he really needed a better pain tolerance for this.</p><p>	Throughout it all, Terushima desperately tried to distract him, pointing out other designs he could have gotten, talking about how their co-workers might react to seeing his new body-mod, and even just talking about what they should get for dinner afterwards. Yamaguchi could barely muster one word responses and the slight shake of his head, but he was grateful Teru was there beside him.</p><p>	After a traumatizingly (or at least, it felt like it) long time, Yamaguchi walked out of the tattoo parlor with a small, but still noticeable tattoo- three birds in flight, just below the right side of his collarbone. He’d done it to symbolize Yachi, Tsukishima, and himself. He felt bad for not dedicating one to Terushima, who, afterall, was the only person getting him through this. He couldn’t bring himself to do it, though, because while Terushima was his best friend, the crows were his family, and they always would be.</p><p>When the crows saw his tattoo, they fawned over him like he was the coolest person they’d ever met.</p><p>“Woah, Yama!” Hinata exclaimed, running his finger along Yamaguchi’s collarbone. “This is sick! I want one too!”</p><p>“Wouldn’t that be so cool to get matching crow tattoos?” Nishinoya exclaimed.</p><p>“Uh, yeah, if it didn’t make it so obvious there’s gang activity that inspired it,” Tsukishima said, slapping the backside of both of their heads. They glared at him, but didn’t fight that claim.</p><p>“Still, it’s really neat,” Sugawara said, nodding in approval.</p><p>“Thanks, guys,” Yamaguchi said shyly. He didn’t do this for their approval, but he couldn’t deny that it was an added bonus.</p><p>Yachi also loved his tattoo, and insisted she get one to match. He couldn’t tell her no, and so she did end up getting a small crow on the side of her pinky. It was dainty, and Yamaguchi felt like it was perfect for her.</p><p>It was many weeks later, and Yamaguchi was spiraling back down into his self-deprecating manner. He’d been at home, staring at himself and wondering why he still wasn’t happy with what was there. Yachi had been watching her favorite show when she’d noticed that he hadn’t returned from the bathroom in a while.</p><p>“Yama!” she called out, listening for a call back. She didn’t get one. If there was one thing Yachi knew, it was that Yamaguchi was too deep in his head to notice anything else. She sighed and peeled herself off the couch to go retrieve him.</p><p>Sure enough, there he was, staring at his reflection disheartedly. It broke her heart ineffably to watch her boy shrivel into himself the way he did. He noticed her, turning his gaze to meet her wide hazel eyes. Her smile remained plastered on her face, but it softened into something more genuine that she allowed only him to see.</p><p>He crumbled a bit more, guilty for letting his lover see him in such a sensitive state.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Yachi,” he said, his mossy green fringe falling into his eyes. His hair was growing so long these days.</p><p>“Please don’t apologize,” she said, reaching up to brush his hair back. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”</p><p>“I just…” Yamaguchi took a wobbly breath. “I don’t know how to feel better.” Yachi felt her heart break into pieces. “I feel like I’m not myself yet. Like I haven’t grown up, I haven’t become who I’m supposed to be.”</p><p>“Who are you supposed to be?” Yachi asked. She silently prayed that the question wouldn’t send Yamaguchi into a spiral</p><p>“Myself,” he said. “I just don’t know who that person is yet.” His hands held onto hers tightly, rubbing his thumb lovingly.</p><p>“I’ll love that person no matter who it turns out to be,” she said, beaming up at him. He didn’t deserve someone as understanding as her, but he would hold onto her until he couldn’t anymore.</p><p>“I think I want to do my hair,” he said, wagging his head back and forth and letting the locks fall back onto his face. Yachi giggled at the action and ruffled his hair. He smiled down at her easily.</p><p>“We can make that happen.”</p><p>	Yachi suggested they waste no time, so they abandoned the TV in search of a decent box-dye and new scissors. It was late at night, and Yamaguchi knew they probably looked like drunk teenagers, being too loud and too casual as they roamed the city in search of materials, but he didn’t care. He loved Yachi, and Yachi loved him, and together they would take on the world.</p><p>	Shortly, they returned to the apartment with not only the hair supplies, but a plethora of snacks and a tiny bit of booze. If they were going to regret their choice in the morning, at least they’ll know they had fun. Yachi poured their drinks and they laughed as Yamaguchi started playing music just a little too loud for their apartment. He was sure their neighbors would complain, but he didn’t care. Not now when he was finally feeling whole again.</p><p>	Yachi mixed the bleach while Yamaguchi contemplated how he would cut his hair. It was somewhat straight, but long and shaggy. He knew he didn’t want to lose most of it, but he wasn’t looking for something as simple as a trim, either.</p><p>	“An undercut?” Yachi had suggested, toying with the bottom half of his hair. Yamaguchi had considered it, but concluded it wouldn’t suit him very well. Perhaps if he had another breakdown he could do that then. For now though, he decided on just the dye and a framing cut that would accentuate his face.</p><p>	The bleach was cold on his neck, and burned a little bit as it made contact with the skin. While waiting for it to sink in, they danced around their kitchen listening to shitty music and eating their snacks. They even decided to impulsively bleach a few strands of Yachi’s hair, just to see what it would look like.</p><p>	When it was all said and done, Yamaguchi walked away with the underside of his hair as a stark platinum gray that nicely contrasted his warm complexion. Yachi had stars in her eyes looking at him, and Yamaguchi couldn’t keep a wide smile off of his face. Finally, somehow this made him feel like he was taking a step closer to who he wanted to be. </p><p>	“H-hey,” Yachi said, stuttering through her intoxication.</p><p>	“‘Sup?”</p><p>	“Let me do your makeup.”</p><p>	That was how Yamaguchi ended up beneath Yachi, who had laid him down on the couch and was straddling over him, carefully painting eyeliner on him. It was such an intimate experience, and they laughed through it all. Yachi was often wonderful at makeup, but given her current intoxicated state, he couldn’t imagine that he looked that great. Still, he wouldn’t have traded the experience for the world. Yachi’s touch was so gentle and sure and he couldn’t help himself from occasionally bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it.</p><p>	After the makeover was over, Yachi led him to the bathroom yet again, where he witnessed her final creation.</p><p>	And he thought it was beautiful.</p><p>	And he thought she was beautiful.</p><p>	And he thought he was beautiful.</p><p>	And he thought he’d never feel sad again if he saw himself the way she saw him.</p><p>	And so he resolved to do just that.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I planned for this chapter to go out on Wednesday, but then I got dumped and had no motivation to write lol. Apologies for such a long wait haha :P </p><p>Next chapter is going to be a bit time-skipped. The past chapters have taken place in winter, this chapter takes place in the transition of seasons, and the next chapter will take place in the spring. Oh, and it'll be the start of the crows and the cats, so you're not going to want to miss it ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Dance Dance and a Revolution</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shoyo Hinata fell in love with his life a little more each and every day. He’d been with the crows for months, had managed to keep his job at the cafe (though he was now searching for something a little more glamorous), and he finally had the money to move out of his apartment. In reality, these were all pretty small things, but he was proud of himself for maintaining stability and keeping himself afloat for all this time. If he was honest with himself, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to do that. Now more than ever, he didn’t regret leaving Miyagi, not even one bit.</p><p>	Today was an especially nice day, and Hinata was bursting with energy during his afternoon shift, and that was without making one of his unearthly concoctions. After he and Koganegawa had their exchange in the alley that night, he felt much more comfortable at his job, and honestly, it was more fun than ever. Knowing he and Kogane were now irrevocably tied together with their secret made it that much more fun to communicate and go about their days as normal. Hinata definitely considered Koganegawa to be a part of his family, even though they were in separate groups.</p><p>	Hinata’s definition of family had changed rapidly since his time in Tokyo began. Before his arrival, he would have defined it as nothing more than that which related people by blood. Family was biological, and there was nothing beyond it. Now, after putting physical distance between him and his blood, he realized that there are other places to find family.</p><p>	He realized that family was much more than blood, than the DNA that ran through his veins. He realized with sudden, but utmost certainty, that family was much more complicated than that for him. Family was no longer limited to the domestic definition that it had once been; now, family was the crows, the people who took him under their wing and gave him the purpose he’d always been searching for. Now, family was the misfit band of criminals that wanted nothing more for the success of each other and themselves, Hinata included.</p><p>	Family wasn’t just the crows either, to his surprise, and he knew it when Koganegawa had talked to him that night in the alley. It was apparent that family didn’t mean only blood or even initiation. Family was the unspoken bond between two people who know they care, and who would do what they could to help one another.  Though, that thought had crossed Hinata’s mind even before that talk with Koganegawa.</p><p>	It had started the morning he woke up in Kageyama’s movie room, tangled in one another and crushing bits of stale popcorn beneath them.</p><p>	Time had gotten the better of them that night, but secretly, Hinata was okay with it. He was almost certain that Kageyama was too, based on the way he’d been so open and vulnerable. Hinata awoke gently, his eyelids fluttering open to the unfamiliar surroundings. It wasn’t just the recliner chair and too big pajamas that caught him off guard, though, it was the boy that was slightly too close to him, whose warmth and steady breathing was all Hinata could take notice of.</p><p>	Somehow, Hinata had ended up facing Kageyama, who was only a small distance away from him. Their arms were layered on top of one another, and one of Hinata’s ankles was slung over Kageyama’s. Hinata had always been a haphazard sleeper, and now was clearly no exception. Hinata only allowed himself to be embarrassed for a moment, as he was much too distracted thinking of all that had transpired just hours before.</p><p>	He remembered wanting to break Kageyama’s steely facade so badly that night on the bus, and to think that only weeks later he’d be tangled up with the man like this made a grin break out on Hinata’s face. Sure, that resolve had been nothing more than an emotionless challenge at the time, but as he and Kageyama grew together, Hinata couldn’t deny that he found himself caring about Kageyama more than he ever intended to. Was it because of the crows? Was it because of that initial resolve? Or was it because he genuinely just liked the boy and his company?</p><p>	Kageyama had opened up about his motivations, his family, everything that made him who he was. It was something so sudden and unexpected, and Hinata almost felt guilty for wanting to take advantage of the man when they’d first met. Kageyama was complex, that was something Hinata always knew. What had changed was nothing more than Hinata’s feelings and Kageyama’s guard. Hinata knew now more than ever that what he felt wasn’t his burden to carry alone either- the proof was right here in front of him.</p><p>	Afterall, how could a man who was determined to be so closed off and cold open himself up to someone he didn’t care about? How could he fall asleep with that person in his arms if he wasn’t emotionally attached in some way? </p><p>	There was no denying how Hinata felt, and he silently prayed that his assumptions about Kageyama were true. That hopefully, he cared about Hinata in the same completely tumultuous way.</p><p>	He admired Kageyama greatly, and always had. But not like this. Not watching that man’s chest rise and fall with the steady pattern that came with sleep. Never before had he been able to admire the space between his eyebrows that was no longer scrunched in a scowl. He’d never gotten the luxury of touching the man casually, in a casual and totally non-perverse way like this. The warmth of the man’s chest radiating to Hinata’s and the soft brush on fingertips on skin. It was a completely overwhelming sensation, but it made Hinata feel high. There was an intimacy here unlike any he’d experienced before, and he couldn’t quite name all of the factors why.</p><p>	It wasn’t long before Hinata was drifting in and out of sleep and he quietly registered little movement and twitches from the man beside him. When he awoke fully again, Kageyama was also awake, still beside him but sitting up and texting something into his phone. Hinata groggily sat up, too self-conscious of his morning breath to let out a yawn.</p><p>	“Morning,” he grumbled, stretching out his compressed limbs.</p><p>	“Morning,” Kageyama responded, not looking up. “You want coffee?”</p><p>	“I’d love some.”</p><p>	As Hinata now stood pouring coffee for a customer, he couldn’t help but let his mind wander to that morning. That blissful winter morning spent with Kageyama. It was so nice, and he wished they’d do something like that more often. But alas, Kageyama’s job was demanding, and Hinata didn’t feel like inviting himself over.</p><p>	“Chop chop, Hinata!” his boss called, urging him to move faster with the impending rush hour burst. Hinata pulled himself out of his idle daydreaming and shifted his focus to his work.</p><p>	Sure enough, a stream of businessmen and teachers and the likes all bombarded the coffee shop and made for a generally chaotic night. Hinata had gotten used to the sticky coffee spills on the ground and the flow of workers around him as they rushed to complete an order. Hinata liked the bustle of his job, it kept him on his feet and always putting that restless energy to use.</p><p>	Of course, by the end of the night, he was always drained within an inch of his life, the only thing keeping him going at that point was whatever sugary beverage he allowed himself to have. After locking up, Hinata treated himself to a brand new drink (courtesy of himself, of course). It was something like a hot chocolate, but not quite. It was essentially a shot of espresso with enough sugar and syrup to cover up the bitter brutality of its natural flavor. Hinata had learned the first time that espresso wasn’t something to mess with. Koganegawa had made fun of Hinata that night at their meeting, saying that Hinata was already shaking from the coffee, and that the shock of seeing each other there only exponentialized the trembles.</p><p>	Hinata sat at his usual table with Kogane, who was already sitting there with his matcha latte.</p><p>	“Long night,” Kogane sighed, leaning back fully in the booth.</p><p>	“I know it,” Hinata agreed. “It’s been a long time since we got that crazy. Maybe it’s the change of seasons.”</p><p>	“What, like the change of seasons is draining people? It’s getting warmer and lighter, shouldn’t that make things easier?”</p><p>	“That’s what the government wants you to think,” Hinata said suggestively, tilting his head at an angle that made his eyes pop. Koganegawa stifled a laugh at the crude expression.</p><p>“Please, Hinata, that's so immature.”</p><p>“Do you have a better explanation?”</p><p>“No, I do not,” Kogane admitted.</p><p>Hinata took a sip of his drink, letting the sweet flavor settle on his tongue. “Damn, that’s actually pretty good,” he said, proud of himself.</p><p>“No way, your drinks are always like taking a shot of straight meth,” Kogane joked.</p><p>“No, dude, I swear this one is really good, try it!” He handed his cup over to the other man, who looked at it quizzically. Regardless of his doubt of Hinata’s tastes, he took a tentative sip of the drink, his eyes widening with surprise at the taste.</p><p>“Y’see! Not bad, eh,” Hinata said, beaming with pride. Koganegawa’s eyes were so expressive and he could repress a smile at the ginger.</p><p>“I’m not even going to lie to you. That’s really fuckin’ good.” Hinata giggled and Koganegawa returned the lighthearted laugh. It was the first time that both of them had ever been in agreement over one of Hinata’s drinks and this moment would probably go down in history.</p><p>Hinata checked the time on his watch. Yes, he’d splurged on a watch with the money he was steadily earning with the crows. It wasn’t much, but he’d been tagging along on smalltime missions and getting himself more and more involved and Daichi had been so kind as to give him an allowance of sorts. His watch wasn’t nearly as nice as Kageyama’s though, but maybe one day he’d get there.</p><p>“Ah, I gotta get going, sorry Kogane,” Hinata said apologetically, gathering his belongings.</p><p>“Meeting?” Kogane asked innocently. It wasn’t odd for them to discuss their ‘business’ when they were alone like this. It would almost be weirder if they didn’t, Hinata thought.</p><p>“A friend, yeah, no business tonight,” Hinata said, sliding out of the seat. “I’ll see you for tomorrow’s shift?”</p><p>“You know it,” Koganegawa said, leaving close behind him.</p><p>They parted ways outside the shop, waving goodbye to each other. Hinata had a skip in his step, not only from the sugary coffee, but from his excitement of how he was going to be spending the night. For the first time in a few weeks, Hinata wouldn’t be going to meet with the crows. No, Hinata was finally going to take a step back from the gang activities and do something very normal. </p><p>He was going out to meet his friend, Kozume Kenma, for a normal friends night out.</p><p>Hinata and Kenma had met up a few times since their first meeting that day at the arcade. Hinata had been the instigator, and Kenma, who was all too unenthusiastic to spend so much time with the fireball, had eventually broken down and agreed to meet up one night. HInata had suggested drinks, and Kenma had agreed on the condition that they rent a private room. Hinata thought that sounded incredibly luxurious and agreed. It later became quite obvious to Hinata that Kenma was not exactly fond of human interaction, which Hinata understood to an extent.</p><p>Of course, Hinata was widely known to be a social butterfly, that didn’t mean that he particularly liked all of the characters he hung out with. Sure, he was nice to everyone and wasn’t afraid to speak to strangers and had an easy time making what one would consider to be a friend. But it wasn’t often that Hinata truly considered someone to be a friend. Besides the Koganegawa and the crows, who were both technically coworkers, Hinata had yet to make a friend just for the sake of friendship. He was honored that Kenma was willing to give up some of that introverted nature, and in turn, he accepted Kenma as a full-fledged friend.</p><p>Tonight, Hinata thought it would be nice to meet up somewhere that was more up Kenma’s alley. They’d agreed to meet at the arcade, the same one they’d met at. It was somewhat social, but he knew that Kenma would feel comfortable there and they would both get a lot of enjoyment out of the night.</p><p>Before Hinata had fully made it to the bus stop, his pocket buzzed a few times in succession. </p><p>“Double-checking. You’re not meeting tonight, are you?” The message was from Kageyama. </p><p>“Nope! Out tonight, I’ll be back tomorrow. Don’t miss me too much ;)” Hinata responded.</p><p>	Only a few moments later- “I won’t.” Hinata laughed to himself. Kageyama could be such a douche sometimes, but it kept Hinata on his toes. He hoped the crows wouldn’t miss him too much as he reached the bus stop just in time to climb on before the doors shut him out in the cold of the night.</p><p>	There was a strange tension between Kageyama and Hinata when it came to friends. Kageyama always seemed to block Hinata out whenever he mentioned Kenma. It didn’t happen with Koganegawa, and Hinata figured that was due to the fact that it was more business than anything. With Kenma, however, Kageyama always got possessive, and he seemed to distrust Kenma. Hinata couldn’t see why; afterall, Kenma was just as closed off and unsociable and Kageyama himself. When Hinata made that comparison, Kageyama wasn’t too ecstatic.</p><p>	It really didn’t bother Hinata though, Kageyama could feel however he wanted about Kenma and Hinata wouldn’t give a flying fuck. Hinata liked Kenma and he liked Kageyama, but they didn’t have to like each other. He mostly just ignored Kageyama’s coldness on the subject and the two would move on.</p><p>	The neon signs of the arcade soon polluted Hinata’s vision and his heart began to pound in his chest. There was always such a rush that came with meeting a friend, he thought. He practically bolted off the bus and made his way up the stairs into the main building. There, Kenma was standing outside of the arcade entrance, typing away madly on his phone. Kenma always seemed to be on his phone.</p><p>	“Hey hey!” Hinata called, waving to the man and jogging up to him. Kenma looked up reluctantly.</p><p>	“Hi, Shoyo,” he mumbled. Kenma’s voice was low and hesitant, but it wasn’t particularly cold. Hinata thought it was quite soothing. “I didn’t buy us tokens or anything yet, I figured I’d wait for you first.”</p><p>	“Aw, that’s okay!” Hinata said, his smile beaming up at Kenma’s. “Tokens on me today, don’t worry about it.” Kenma looked like he wanted to fight the act of kindness, but he couldn’t bring himself to do anything other than nod. The pair made their way to the main counter, where Hinata bought them a fair amount of tokens.</p><p>	“What do you want to play first?” Hinata asked as he juggled the coins.</p><p>	“They just got a new shooter game in, it’s one of the immersive ones,” Kenma explained, leading the way over to the new machine. Kenma was extremely well-versed in all things gaming. He’d explained his interest in it with Hinata that night over drinks, and Hinata had swore he’d never hear Kenma talk that much ever again.</p><p>	“I just think it’s interesting how they work,” Kenma had explained, nursing the same glass of whiskey he’d started the night with. “There’s more to it than just shoot and kill. Hell, even games like Minecraft are more simple than just mine and craft. There’s always a problem, and there’s always a way to overcome it. The games stimulate that part of your brain, and the harder the level, the more strategy needed.” Hinata had just nodded along, thinking about the minecraft house he’d abandoned a few years ago. It was a cool one, too.</p><p>	“And then there’s the gaming community, which, don’t get me wrong, has its faults, but at the end of the day, it’s this massive platform where people of all backgrounds and cultures come together to solve those problems and collaborate. And sometimes you meet someone really cool who thinks just like you and you can take any game down in an instant.” Kenma had rambled that night for a solid forty-five minutes about video games and their nature. After his monologue, he’d ended it by saying, “I still think the older arcade games are cooler, though.”</p><p>	They’d arrived at the new booth, which Hinata had to admit was very impressive. It looked like a classic arcade game on the outside, but there was a door on the outside that was lined with LED lights indicating whether or not the booth was full. It was empty now, and Kenma pulled Hinata in before anyone could take their place.</p><p>	The inside of the booth was lined with LED lights that blinked in succession with the game. The game screen itself took up the entire walls of the booth.The ground was also a screen, showing what the terrain looked like wherever they walked. It was way more immersive than Hinata would have pictured.</p><p>	“The idea of the game is that you have to be aware of your surroundings at all times,” Kenma explained, handing a sensor to Hinata. “It’s easy to do when you’ve got a remote, but when you physically have to take on enemies, it’s way harder.”</p><p>	“Wait, so how am I supposed to move this thing?” Hinata asked, strapping his wrists with the sensors. He waggled his hand around a bit, waiting to see if anything would change on the game menu.</p><p>	“I have the controlling sensors right now, but if I do this…” Kenma raised his hand and pointed to an option on the menu. The game pinged and the option was selected.</p><p>	“Woah! This is really cool,” Hinata exclaimed, watching Kenma control their reality with the flick of his wrist.</p><p>	“I know. Now, to defeat the enemies, you’ve got to throw a punch. It doesn’t have to be hard, just enough for the sensors to register that you’re making the right movement. See,” Kenma demonstrated a punch, weak, but clear in motion and intent.</p><p>	“If I punch really hard will the game give me extra points?”</p><p>	“No. And if you punch me on accident I’ll punch you right back.”</p><p>	“Wait, no that’s not fair!” Hinata pouted, suddenly worried he was going to punch his friend.</p><p>	“See, this is all about strategy,” Kenma explained. “There’s no rules saying how we have to fight. So, I’ll take these two walls, and you take the other two.”</p><p>	“What if they come from the floor?” Hinata asked, suspicious of why the floor would need to be screened in.</p><p>	“Then you better hope you can punch the ground fast enough.”</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>	Tobio Kageyama was not possessive, but he sure as hell was jealous. He was jealous of Hinata and Kenma’s friendship because it was so easygoing and pure. There was no tension and there was no reason why. They were just natural friends. Kageyama wondered if Hinata would have ever become friends with him if it weren’t for the crows. Probably not, and that scared Kageyama a little bit.</p><p>	He’d just double-checked with Hinata that he wouldn’t be coming to the meeting tonight at Karasuno. Sure enough, tonight was one of the nights where Hinata would be blowing off the crows to spend the evening with Kenma, and Kageyama found himself overthinking just what was going to happen. He was standing in the main gym, clutching his phone in his hands until his knuckles turned white. It was embarrassing, but all of his energy was focusing on keeping his face stoic.</p><p>	He wondered where they would go. Would they go out for drinks? Go to dinner? Would they see a movie? There was one that Hinata had been talking about recently, and Kageyama was trying to figure out a way to ask him to it without coming off as weird, but he supposed if he and Kenma went together he wouldn’t need to worry so much anymore-</p><p>	But he didn’t want Kenma to take Hinata out to see that movie. Kageyama wanted to do it himself. He wanted to watch Hinata’s face light up at the scenes and he wanted to hear Hinata’s too-loud laugh during a scene that wasn’t even that funny, and he wanted to listen to him rave about how good it was afterward. He pictured Hinata’s small form sleeping beside him, just as he’d done that night weeks ago. It was so overwhelmingly innocent, but he’d never admit that he’d do anything to protect that innocence.</p><p>	“No Hinata tonight?” Suga said, sildling himself next to the sulker.</p><p>	“Nope,” was all Kageyama could muster in response.</p><p>	“With a friend?” Suga was always prying into his personal life, but he did it with such an innocent and caring tone that Kageyama couldn’t help but open up every once in a while. Tonight, he was particularly weak.</p><p>	“Yep. Same one as last time too, Kozume Kenma.” Suga’s eyes held something between concern and sympathy. It irritated Kageyama. “H-he really should be coming around more. After all, he still owes us.”</p><p>	“What, from the tracker incident?” </p><p>	Kageyama nodded.</p><p>	“He long paid his dues. He’s been nothing but helpful since he got here. Besides, he’s not our slave, he can take a night off if he wants. He didn’t have a job tonight anyway,” Suga said, using that irritatingly soothing voice.</p><p>	“I don’t have one either, but I’m still here,” Kageyama grumbled. Kageyama hadn’t had a real job in at least three weeks. He’d been working nonstop on getting the crows new tech and planning out his own personal mission. He didn’t really need to be at Karasuno every night, but he found himself there anyway. Perhaps it was just because Hinata leeched rides off of him. Perhaps it was because he wanted him to.</p><p>	“Y'know…” Suga’s voice took on a lilting, teasing tone. Kageyama couldn’t help but cock his head and let his eyebrows furrow. “I think it’s very important to keep our fellow crows safe.”</p><p>	“Yeah?” Where the hell was Suga going with this?</p><p>	“Hinata shouldn’t just go running around the city with strangers anymore, not now that he’s a crow.” Kageyama’s eyes widened just a fraction. Was Suga really?-</p><p>	“I think you and I should check up on him, make sure he’s not being targeted by anyone.” Kageyama’s heart was screaming ‘YES’ at the top of it’s lungs, threatening to burst clean out of his chest, but his body remained frozen in shock and his vocal chords remained mute. “Don’t you?”</p><p>	“I-I met the guy, he didn’t seem weird or anything,” Kageyama said quietly. He was jealous, sure, but he wasn’t crazy.</p><p>	“You never know,” Suga said, pulling Kageyama by the arm. “I think it’s a concern we absolutely should have. He’s gone out on jobs, and it’s obvious he’s a rookie. I think it’s plausible that someone would want to target him, don’t you?” Shit, Suga really was persuasive. </p><p>	“So what, we’re just going to go tail him? I don’t even know where he is.”</p><p>	“Don’t you have any idea where Hinata would go?” Kageyama thought about it. He tamped down all of the extravagant thoughts in his head. Where would Shoyo Hinata be? No, where would Shoyo Hinata and Kenma Kozume be?</p><p>	“I have an idea.”</p><p>	Suga proposed his concern to Daichi, who saw through Suga’s argument with ease. </p><p>	“Are we really worried that Hinata’s got a target on his back?” Daichi had asked plainly. HIs face was clearly in disbelief, and Kageyama could see him fighting back a smirk.</p><p>	“Who knows! He’d be the easiest one of us to go after, and it’s not like he’d know how to defend himself. I think it’s best we at least go check on him.” Suga was practically vibrating beside Kageyama, desperate for his ploy to work. Daichi let out a resigned sigh, looking back down at some paperwork.</p><p>	“As long as you don’t take one of our cars, you’re free to go. You’ve got two hours, max.” </p><p>	“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Suga was jumping up and down, running to Daichi and wrapping his arms around Daichi’s neck. He pressed a kiss into Daichi’s temple.</p><p>	He… pressed a kiss…</p><p>	The three froze in time, all staring blankly. Kageyama had just witnessed Suga kiss his boss. Suga had just kissed Daichi in front of Kageyama. Kageyama could have, and probably should have, died right there on the spot.</p><p>	“I… uh... “</p><p>	“You didn’t see shit,” Daichi said, his voice getting gravely and stern.</p><p>	“I didn’t see shit,” Kageyama confirmed, his voice small and embarrassed.</p><p>	“You won’t tell Nishinoya,” Suga said, warning clear in his tone.</p><p>	“I won’t tell Nishinoya,” Kageyama confirmed. Suga nodded promptly, but his gaze remained weary. Daichi didn’t hide his threat as he glared into the depths of Kageyama’s soul. They didn’t need to worry, though. Kageyama really wouldn’t tell, if only so he could avoid a bombardment from the other members.</p><p>	“I’ll drive,” Kageyama said as he and Suga made their way out of the gym. “I know how to get there, at least.”</p><p>	“Where do you think they are?” Suga asked as Kageyama unlocked the car.</p><p>	“An arcade.”</p><p>	“An arcade?” Suga balked. He chuckled to himself a bit, most likely in disbelief that two grown men decided to meet up at an arcade. “Why an arcade?”</p><p>	Kageyama bit his tongue, preparing himself to unleash the cold hard truth. “I went with Hinata that day and that’s where he met Kenma.”</p><p>	He didn’t dare look at Suga for a reaction, but he could practically feel the sympathy radiating off of him in waves. He didn’t want- or need- sympathy, and it made him feel like something bad had happened that he needed consolation for.</p><p>	“I get it,” Suga said quietly. Kageyama wasn’t good at reading him, but he could tell that Suga wasn’t saying this just to appeal to Kageyama. “I know what it’s like to be unsure.”</p><p>	“Unsure?”</p><p>	“When Daichi and I first got together, there was this girl, Michimiya. I could have sworn that Daichi was head over heels for her, and I thought for a while that I’d never be able to compare. That she’d win him over before I ever got the chance. I got sort of crazy about it, yknow? I obsessed and I did everything in my power to get his attention, and he never admits it, but I know I looked like an idiot doing it. Don’t look like an idiot, just tell him how you feel.”</p><p>	But Kageyama just couldn’t do that. He was just starting to warm to Hinata, finally opening up about his life, his past. He couldn’t spring all of that on the poor man and then turn around and confess his feelings like that. It wouldn’t be good for anyone, and Kageyama would end up hating himself more than he did already.</p><p>	“Aren’t we being a little crazy right now?” Kageyama asked, ignoring the sentiment of what Sugawara was trying to say.</p><p>	“Maybe. But this time you’re not doing it for attention. You’re doing it for indulgence. For the sake of protection.”</p><p>	“But I don’t think that he’s actually in any danger,” Kageyama said, reminding Sugawara who’s fault it was that they were doing this at all.</p><p>	“Then indulgence sake alone! Now don’t waste time, we only have two hours!” Suga explained, urging Kageyama to hit the road.</p><p>	As they drove, Kageyama internally kicked himself for what he was doing. This was complete insanity, and he had no right to tail Hinata like this. Suga had done a decent job of justifying their actions, but it was still making Kageyama’s stomach twist. If Hinata knew what he was doing, he’d probably never speak to Kageyama again. It was such a gross invasion, yet here he was, driving them along anyway.</p><p>	All in all, he appreciated Suga’s uncanny ability to read a person. As much as he hated the feeling of being psychoanalyzed, if it wasn’t for Sugawara, he wouldn’t be nearly in the position he was then, and that was in regards to everything. Sure, he was partly doing this for his own indulgence, but he knew that Suga cared equally about the situation, wanting Kageyama’s happiness first and foremost. That, and he was a nosy ass fucker.</p><p>	It was a decently long drive from the suburbs to the arcade, hidden deep inside the threshold of the city. It’s lights were ablaze, guiding the car towards it like a moth to a flame. Kageyama found a spot down the block where he parked the car and the pair made their journey into the building.</p><p>	It was somewhat crowded, young kids and teens jumping between the convenience stores and the arcade and the karaoke bars nearby. Kageyama suddenly realized just how out of place he and Sugawara were. Whereas Hinata and Kenma were comparably similar in height to the younger populations, Sugawara, and especially Kageyama, stook out like sore thumbs. He tried to look as inconspicuous as possible, but it wasn’t a very easy thing to do. Dressed in business casual in the arcade didn’t allow for a lot of camouflage.</p><p>	He and Sugawara didn’t buy tokens, they merely walked past the man at the counter who was too busy reading manga to even notice them walk in. Kageyama had been in situations such as this before- stalking out his prey. This time made him much more nervous though, and he couldn’t quite articulate why. Normally, it was someone who he needed for a job. Whether it was gathering intel or searching for an appropriate approach, he was quite skilled at getting what he wanted and staying composed while doing so.</p><p>	The difference now was that there was no real clear goal. He had nothing to gain from being there, no real reason for seeking Hinata out other than quelling the pit in his stomach. Though, once he had arrived, he found himself significantly more uncomfortable, and significantly less sure that this experience would help him feel better at all.</p><p>	They avoided main aisles, keeping to the outskirts of the room and trying their best to look interested in the array of games. Luckily for the pair, it would be damn near impossible to lose Hinata in a crowd, and the blacklights in the room only made his existence that much more obvious.</p><p>	From across the room they spotted him: the ginger crow, smiling widely and waving his hands in animated conversation. Kageyama’s stomach did flips upon seeing him, and it twisted inside out at seeing Kenma there with him. Kenma didn’t look disinterested, but he sure as hell wasn’t as animated as Hinata. Though, no one could ever really match Hinata’s energy.</p><p>	“That’s Kenma?” Suga asked quietly. Kageyama nodded in confirmation. He watched as the pair made their way over to the Dance Dance Revolution station, likely on Hinata’s command. Judging off of Kenma’s expression alone, this wasn’t something that he would have suggested on his own. </p><p>	Kageyama and Suga stalked their prey, settling themselves catty-corner behind the ginger and his friend. They weren’t within earshot, but at the very least they could keep an eye on the situation. Kageyama watched as Hinata took Kenma by the arm and led him towards the game stand. Kageyama bet he could beat Kenma. What was Hinata doing playing with a dude that wouldn’t even challenge Hinata? Hinata loved to be challenged, and that was something that Kageyama could give him.</p><p>	“I get why you’re jealous-”</p><p>	“I’m not jealous,” Kageyama interrupted, refusing to be called out. Sugawara wasn’t stupid, though, and he wouldn’t let Kageyama’s insecurities quiet him.</p><p>	“I get why you’re jealous. I won’t say why, but I understand.” Kageyama appreciated Suga’s lack of articulation. “You don’t get this way about him and Koganegawa, and he’s confirmed to be affiliated with another group. Why is this worse?”</p><p>	And why was it worse? Why was this friendship so much harder for Kageyama to accept? Why was it that he didn’t have an issue with Koganegawa, but he had one with Kenma? It was quite simple, really. Kenma Kozume was an alias.</p><p>	“His name isn’t Kozume Kenma,” Kageyama said quietly. Sugawara probably gave himself whiplash with how quickly his head turned.</p><p>	“Excuse me?”</p><p>	“His name isn’t Kozume Kenma. His real name is Satoru Inei. He’s the head of one of the biggest tech companies around.” Kageyama would know; he works in the same field, high up in his company. Though he’d never personally met with Satoru, his higher-ups had, and he had a general understanding of how Satoru operated. He kept his identity underwraps for most of the population, distrusting them. He only worked with those that he felt were necessary, and even then it was an uphill battle to do so.</p><p>	When Kageyama had seen him that day in the arcade, he couldn’t quite understand where he’d seen that face before. He knew they’d never met personally, but it was equivalent to seeing a celebrity in public. He knew that something about the interaction made him uncomfortable, despite his jealousy of Hinata. It wasn’t until later that he connected the dots, and realized that Hinata had been fed a false name. Meanwhile, Satoru knew theirs perfectly.</p><p>	“Wait… so I was right about this being a trap?” Suga whisper-yelled. Kageyama hushed him harshly, trying to not draw any attention from nearby gamers.</p><p>	“Not necessarily, but Kenma hasn’t exactly been honest about who he is. He’s not the friendly type, from what I know.” Kageyama was infinitely more possessive just thinking about it… Satoru Inei, who wouldn’t even meet with partnered companies, playing Dance Dance Revolution with Shoyo Hinata in public. It didn’t make much sense.</p><p>	The pair watched as Kenma tied his hair back into a low bun to keep the dyed strands from his face. Hinata was queuing the game up for start when Sugawara let out a low gasp, pulling Kageyama back into an empty corner of the arcade.</p><p>	“The tattoo,” Suga said, quickly typing something into his phone.</p><p>	“The what?” Kageyama hadn’t noticed a tattoo, too absorbed in his own emotions to notice anything outside of his emotional tunnel-vision.</p><p>	“It’s faint, but it's intentional. Three sharp lines, just behind the ear.” Suga’s face was blanche, but he was smiling broadly.</p><p>	“What does that have to do with anything? Why are we panicked?”</p><p>	“We just found one of them,” Suga said, looking at Kageyama dead in the eye, a wild gaze alight. “We have to get Hinata out of here as fast as possible.”</p><p>	“What the hell is going on?” Kageyama asked. He had no idea what three lines meant, what the correlation was between any of this.</p><p>	“Get in the car, I’ll explain everything, but then you need to call Hinata and tell him there’s an emergency at Karasuno,” Suga said, pulling Kageyama by the wrist, practically running out of the arcade. Kageyama didn’t even get to spare a glance at Hinata and Kenma- Satoru?- as they left.</p><p>	They ran to the car, where Suga promptly yanked on the handle until Kageyama unlocked it. Kageyama didn’t spare a second, taking off as soon as their doors had closed.</p><p>	“What the hell was that?” Kageyama asked, driving considerably faster than he probably should be.</p><p>	“That was a member of Nekoma.”</p><p>	Kageyama’s heart doubled in speed, his hands going clammy in an instant. He had heard about Nekoma, one of the most powerful mafia groups in Japan, but they were elusive and secretive. Legend had it that they came from old money, important money, and were one of the most powerful groups in the nation. You didn’t know Nekoma until they were right in front of you, trapping you in their claws and using you to their pleasure. </p><p>So to think that they’d just found Nekoma, out in public, let alone with Shoyo Hinata, was unthinkable, and seemed too easy. For a group that was notorious for being elusive, it seemed all too convenient that a rookie member of an easily ignored gang would catch one of their eyes.</p><p>“How is that possible? How do you even know that?” Kageyama asked. He was weary of the whole situation, in complete disbelief that any of it was real. </p><p>“It’s the cat's scratch. Symbolic of the entry into the gang. It’s a small, easily passable mark that wouldn’t draw any attention to those who have it. Small and simple, it doesn’t raise any suspicions as to the context behind it.”</p><p>“How do you know?”</p><p>Suga pondered the question, jaw clenching as he considered how to best answer it.</p><p> “In an underground society, it’s only a matter of time until you discover you all share the same secrets.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Y'all have no idea how excited I am to follow this plot line omfg... This was one of the first ideas that came when I started drafting this story and now that I'm finally writing it I could scream. As always, I hope you enjoy! Next chapter is going to be action-packed as the crows and the cats begin to seek each other out for the "first" time.</p><p>PS. Don't worry too much about Kenma's alias. Yes, his real name is Kozume Kenma, but for the sake of the story, Kageyama thinks that's a lie.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. The Stupidest of Decisions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was official- Shoyo Hinata was a master at Dance Dance Revolution. Granted, he knew Kozume Kenma wasn’t his fiercest competitor, but that didn’t matter. His score was probably comparable to that of a K-pop idol. He was sweating an embarrassing amount from the effort, while Kenma was merely breathing only slightly heavier.</p><p>	“I told you I wasn’t good at this,” Kenma said, trying to catch his breath.</p><p>	“It’s okay! It was still fun,” Hinata said. He turned around to get off of the equipment and was met with the sight of a small crowd that had formed to watch them- well, more like Hinata- compete. He laughed at the sight, a bunch of little kids staring at him in awe. Kenma didn’t seem to like the attention, and Hinata didn’t want to become a celebrity of the arcade, so he took Kenma by the arm and the two made their way back by the skee ball machines.</p><p>	“We’ve only got tokens for one more game, your choice,” Hinata said, handing the remaining plastic coins over to the other man. He seemed to contemplate his choice thoroughly, not wanting to end the night with an embarrassing loss.</p><p>	“How about a classic racing game?” Kenma suggested quietly, gesturing to an ancient machine towards the outskirts of the arcade. Hinata nodded in agreement, letting Kenma lead the way.</p><p>	He really liked being around Kenma. There was something so genuine about him that Hinata thought was wonderful. Maybe it was just the fact that this wasn’t some secret society bullshit- just a good friend and easy fun. He appreciated Kenma’s blunt honesty as he did with Kageyama, but it was his juxtaposed quietness and passion that made him feel like a challenge. Like with Kageyama, Hinata wanted nothing more than to get Kenma riled up, eliciting a reaction from the man that was usually so stoic.</p><p>	Damn, maybe Hinata had a type.</p><p>	They settled themselves at the console, the game's ancient sound system pumping grainy tunes into their heads. He knew that his chances at beating Kenma at a game like this were slim, but he’d humor Kenma’s competitive nature. They selected their characters and vehicles, and the game revved up.</p><p>	“I hope your DDR win is enough to secure your ego,” Kenma teased, “because this just might destroy yours.” Hinata laughed at Kenma’s bluntness, fully prepared to let his dignity take a hit. The flag waved on the screen, signaling the start of the race. Hinata noticed Kenma lean forward slightly as he became increasingly engrossed in the game.</p><p>	Quite honestly, Hinata believed that the more he hung out with Kenma, the more skilled he became at video games. He was controlling his vehicle with more swift actions than he ever would have done previously. He wasn’t trailing too far behind Kenma in terms of score, which was noticeably irking Kenma. He was jabbing at the buttons harder, turning the remote with more force as if it would help his situation. Kenma let out a huff of frustration as Hinata chuckled manically to himself. His score was getting closer and closer to Kenma’s with each passing second.</p><p>	Hinata wanted to win regardless of who he played with, but playing with Kenma only urged him forward. Beating the “best of the best” was a prize that dealt much more damage to the loser and fueled the fire of the winner. He would pay endless amounts of money to see the look on Kenma’s face for a rookie gamer to beat him. But of course, it couldn’t be just any rookie- it had to be him.</p><p>	Finally, the moment came. Hinata’s racer had passed by Kenma’s though it was only by a few feet. Still, the victory was huge, and Hinata let out a laugh that sounded much more like a cackle.</p><p>	“Fucker,” Kenma whispered under his breath, urging his remote to magically propel him past Hinata. Still, Hinata remained in the lead, smiling so wide that his cheeks could have split. He was winning, and he wouldn’t stop no matter what-</p><p>	His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a small motion, one he could ignore. It only shook him out of his daze slightly, and he maintained his lead with no issue. Kenma was still silently raging beside him, which only made Hinata want to increase the margin between them. Again, a buzz in his pocket. They began to come in more rapid succession, vibrating nonstop, ping after ping after ping. This was no longer a minor interruption, it was borderline terrifying. </p><p>One hand on the controller, Hinata wedged his hand into his pocket, desperately trying to stay focused on the same. Kenma was catching up to him with each second, but as the buzzing continued, even his focus began to shift.</p><p>“You good?” Kenma asked, sparing a frazzled glance at Hinata.</p><p>“Yeah…. I just-” Hinata spared a quick glance down at his phone only to see roughly thirteen texts from Kageyama and two missed calls. Something like this had never happened before. Hinata wedged the phone between his shoulder and his head, returning his other hand to the controller. Just because Kageyama was getting panicky didn’t mean he was going to sacrifice this game. Besides, Kageyama probably just wanted to interrupt and make him feel bad for skipping out on tonight’s meeting.</p><p>“Kageyama I’m kinda busy right now, so can I-”</p><p>“Hinata where are you, I’m coming to get you right now.” Hinata nearly dropped the remote and lost his lead. What the hell was the rush? Couldn’t Hinata just hang out with a friend and win a game or was god out to get him?</p><p>“Dude what? No? I’m with Kenma right now,” Hinata said. Kenma glanced at him with a side-eye. It was a questioning look, but one that allowed him to maintain enough concentration on the game. Shit, and Kenma was catching up fast. Hinata’s lead was slipping away with each millisecond that passed. Hinata’s hands were sweating a torrential amount.</p><p>“Okay, and where are you and Kenma? This isn’t up for discussion, you’re coming with me,” Kageyama growled, getting fed up with Hinata. </p><p>“No, I’m not,” Hinata fought back. He tried to keep his voice low and stoic so as to not bring any attention to himself. It wasn’t working very much, as Kenma kept shifting his gaze from the game to Hinata. </p><p>“If you don’t tell me that’s fine. I have other ways to get to you,” Kageyama said menacingly. Hinata was sure he was bluffing, almost positive that he was. Still, he wouldn’t put it past any member of the crows to want to keep tabs on him. It wasn’t a risk he was willing to take.</p><p>“Tell me why and I’ll spill,” the ginger gambled. It was a petty game, but Hinata wasn’t one to give in so easily. He heard Kageyama huff on the other end, considering his options.</p><p>“Am I on speaker?” Kageyama asked.</p><p>“Nope, just me,” Hinata answered. Fuck, Kenma just passed him. He shifted his focus back onto the game; with only one lap to go, it was essential that he used his time wisely and found a way to beat his opponent. If only he could find a short cut....</p><p>“There’s an emergency at Karasuno,” Kageyama said. It was such a blunt statement with almost no emotion behind it. It took a few seconds for Hinata to really process what he’d just said.</p><p>“W-what? What happened?” Hinata’s car veered off-road for only a moment, but the awful traction of his tires slowed him down even by a fraction of a second. Kenma, who was just within passing distance, sped up ever so slightly, increasing his lead. Hinata watched as Kenma clenched his jaw, shaking the controller slightly as if it would advance him further.</p><p>“That’s not something I’m going to discuss over the phone,” Kageyama grumbled. “Now tell me where you are.”</p><p>Hinata huffed, focusing on regaining his composure. Kenma had just encountered an obstacle, slowing him down just enough for Hinata to catch up, but not enough for him to pass. Kenma yelped quietly as he freed himself from the obstacle, finish line in sight. Hinata completely forgot about the conversation with Kageyama, his focus now entirely on winning the game. </p><p>Victory was so close, he could practically taste it. He and Kenma were neck and neck,, Hinata’s car accelerating just enough to ride Kenma’s ass. Hinata’s hands were clammy, shaking the controller as if it would speed up his car. Kenma was doing the same, twisting the controller and practically leaning his whole body forward. After a few seconds, Hinata’s car surpassed Kenma’s, and he let out a victory yell.</p><p>“So close, Kenma! You can’t come back from that, I’ve got you now!” Hinata was whooping and hollering and causing a ruckus and Kenma was so visibly irritated.</p><p>“Shut the hell up, I’m right behind you, all it would take is-”</p><p>“FUCK!” Kageyama yelled on the other line. Hinata had gotten so wrapped up in the competition that he’d forgotten he was on the phone in the first place. It broke his concentration wholly, his head jerking up and the phone falling from it’s hold on Hinata’s shoulder. It fell to the ground with a sickening thud, and Hinata’s focus left the game screen. Quickly, he bent down to pick up the phone, but losing his grip on the controller also resulted in the loss of his control of his vehicle. Sure enough, the car swerved to the left, knocking into an NPC and Kenma took the lead, crossing the finish line.</p><p>“Fuck yeah!” Kenma exclaimed, but the outburst was short-lived. He turned his focus quickly to Hinata who was both mourning the close loss and trying to recover his conversation.</p><p>“Dude, what the hell was that for!?” Hinata exclaimed into the phone. “I was so close to actually beating Kenma. Do you know how big of a deal that is?” Kenma blushed at the praise but shrunk into himself. He wasn’t exactly one for attention.</p><p>“You went silent on me. I had to get your attention,” Kageyama said, matter-of-factly. “I don’t have time to wait on you. Where are you.”</p><p>“The arcade,” Hinata pouted. “You know the one.”</p><p>“I’ll be there in ten minutes. Don’t you dare fucking move,” Kageyama threatened, hanging up before Hinata could get in another word.</p><p>Hinata grumbled at his phone, which was miraculously not cracked. How dare Kageyama throw a fit at him? Sure, there might be an emergency, but Hinata wasn’t exactly sure that finishing up an arcade game was really that much of an issue. Besides, it’s not even like Kageyama was there waiting on him yet.</p><p>“Everything okay?” Kenma asked softly.</p><p>Hinata sighed. “Emergency at work. A coworker is coming to pick me up, I’m really sorry about that.” He felt bad leaving in the middle of their plans, but something told him Kenma wouldn’t mind all that much.</p><p>“Ah, that’s understandable,” Kenma said, waving off Hinata’s apology. “It happens. I’ll wait here with you until they get here, if that’s okay with you.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata smiled, “Of course that’s okay! I really appreciate it.” The pair exited the arcade, their vision adjusting to the unsaturated light of the lobby. “I had a lot of fun tonight.”</p><p>Kenma, who was previously staring down at his feet, looked up at Hinata's smiley disposition. “I had fun too, Shoyo,” he said softly. “Even though you still couldn’t beat me.”</p><p>“Hey!” Hinata pouted. Kenma smirked slightly. “I got pretty close there at the end! If it wasn’t for stupid Kageyama I probably would have won, and by a lot too!” He might have been pouting for dramatic effect but it was somewhat true; Hinata likely would have won that game. He was still so curious to know what it would be like to beat a champion at his own game. </p><p>“What’s up with him?” Kenma asked. Hinata looked quizzically at him, but the blush on his cheeks alluded to the idea that Kenma hadn’t meant it in such a way. “I just mean… he seems so annoyed all the time. I know I can be really introverted sometimes, but he seems almost aggressive about it.”  </p><p>Hinata knew just what Kenma was talking about and nodded in solidarity. “He’s not the best at social interaction, that’s true. But he’s actually a really nice guy when you get to know him. Granted, don’t ask me just how I did it- even I don’t know.” Hinata chuckled to himself as he recalled his relationship with Kageyama. “I think I just annoyed him so badly that he found it pointless to keep fighting me.”</p><p>“Yeah, I don’t wanna annoy the guy,” Kenma said, stuffing his hands in his hoodie pockets. “No offense to you.”</p><p>“None taken! I did it entirely on purpose.”</p><p> </p><p>“For fun?”</p><p>“For the challenge, I suppose.” </p><p>Hinata’s phone buzzed in his hand- sure enough, it was a message from Kageyama, announcing that he was outside.</p><p>“He’s here, I’m gonna head out,” Hinata said, waving his phone.</p><p>“Right,” Kenma returned, waving at the ginger. “See you around, Shoyo.”</p><p>“See ya!”</p><p>Sure enough, there was Kageyama’s car, the engine still purring. Dumbass hadn’t even taken the time to turn off the engine, was he really in that much of a rush? Hinata climbed in without a word, and Kageyam took off practically before the door was even shut.</p><p>“Where was Kenma? I thought you were with him,” Kageyama interrogated. He seemed to be driving with more force, if that was even possible.</p><p>“I was,” Hinata said. “He was still inside when I came out.”</p><p>“Doing what?” </p><p>“Dude, what the fuck is up with you? I don’t know, probably on his phone or something. Maybe he was gonna go back and turn in our tickets. I’m not keeping tabs on him like you do with me…” The last line was petty and bitter, he knew that, but the conversation felt more like a court case, and it wasn’t one that Hinata felt like he could win in.</p><p>“I keep tabs on you because you’re a crow,” Kageyama clarified.</p><p>“Yes, and I don’t keep tabs on Kenma because he’s not one,” Hinata countered. Kageyama’s logic was thoroughly flawed, but Hinata couldn’t exactly come up with a better reason for his actions.</p><p>“Now can you tell me what this big emergency is? Or are you just gonna make me sit here and freak myself out.”</p><p>“Not my place,” Kageyama said. It was simple as that.</p><p>“What the hell does that mean?” Hinata asked, shifting his body in the passenger seat to fully face Kageyama. Kageyama glanced at him with a side-eye, the scowl on his face deepening.</p><p>“It means we’re going to Karasuno so Suga can explain. That’s what it means.”</p><p>“But can’t you tell me something? Anything?” Hinata watched as Kageyama’s jaw clenched. He seemed to be pondering Hinata’s request for information, but it didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. It was almost as if Kageyama was trying to bite back the words instead of force them out. Kageyama knew exactly what was going on, but didn’t think Hinata was worthy of knowing just what it was.</p><p>“If you don’t trust me just say so,” Hinata said. God, maybe his relationship with Kageyama was a little bit toxic.</p><p>“I don’t trust you,” Kageyama admitted plainly. Well, shit! So much for some mind games, eh?</p><p>	“Why?”</p><p>	“I don’t trust your judgement. I don’t trust your strategy. I don’t trust the way you trust. You’re unpredictable, and I don’t feel like giving you the tools to go off and do things that might affect us all. I’ll let someone else bear that responsibility, but it’s not going to be me.” Something about the bitter honesty of Kageyama’s words felt like the coldest, sharpest knife had just plunged directly through Hinata’s heart. Kageyama didn’t trust him? The person who, however reluctantly, was the closest to him didn’t even trust him? </p><p>	“How can you say that so easily?” Hinata exclaimed. “How can you say you don’t trust me, yet, you trust me the most? Don’t deny that, either, you and I both know it’s true.” Hinata watched as a red tint flooded over Kageyama’s cheeks. Despite the show of embarrassment, his scowl practically overtook his entire demeanor; even his knuckles tightened.</p><p>	“I don’t say this to make you a villain. I’m saying it because I trust you the most too.” Kageyama’s eyes widened a fraction of an inch. “I’m saying this because after all the two of us have gone through, after all we’ve put each other through, it’s still you who gives me rides to our meetings. It’s you who checks up on me to make sure everything is good. It’s you who opens up about themselves and makes us both feel just a little more human.” Hinata knew he was delving into territory that he didn’t feel comfortable in yet. He was saying things that he hadn’t even considered to himself. The subconscious thoughts and feelings were flying out of his mouth in barely coherent strings of words, and they were certain to make things that much more insufferable.</p><p>	“You trusted me enough to let me in with the others. You trusted me enough to open up about yourself. You trusted me enough to bring me into your personal life. This is mutual, Kageyama. That’s what makes this different from everything else. I don’t understand why trusting me with this is any different than trusting me with a blanket to sleep at night with.” Hinata had nearly said it- that one subconscious thought. He’d gotten so close to saying the one single thing that would have caused a rift in everything as they knew it. He just couldn’t, though. He couldn’t do it. Not now.</p><p>	“Sugawara will explain everything when we get there,” Kageyama mumbled. He lacked the venomous spark he harbored in the beginning of their conversation, but he still was being quite cold. The silence that settled over them wasn’t the same comfortable one that they usually experienced; this silence was much heavier and much denser with all of the unspoken words that flooded both of their minds.</p><p>	Hinata’s chest was tight, constricted with emotion. He hated himself for being so sensitive to Kageyama’s usual bastard behavior, but something about this time was different. This time, Kageyama wasn’t simply denying Hinata this to tease or to test. He was doing it because he honestly believed that Hinata wasn’t ready to handle it. Hinata was fully under the impression that he and Kageyama were on the same page with each other, and getting rejected in such a way made his stomach twist. It pissed him off.</p><p>	It wasn’t long until the pair arrived at Karasuno. Hinata was unbuckled and had jumped out of the car while the tires were still rolling. He didn’t feel like waiting up for Kageyama, and he certainly didn’t feel like spending any second longer with him. Hinata didn’t feel like he owed that. </p><p>	He knocked three times on the door in typical fashion. Not a second had passed before Ennoshita swung the door open, quickly beckoning Hinata in. Hinata noticed a flicker of confusion at Kageyama being paces behind, and held the door open as Kageyama jogged inside.</p><p>	Just before the door shut behind Kageyama, another person burst through the crack in the door. Koushi Sugawara, who looked wildly disgruntled, panted heavily as he straightened out his shirt and made his way towards the front of the room to where Daichi, Ukai, and Ittetsu Takeda were standing. Daichi laughed aloud at Suga’s appearance, and even Ukai smirked. Takeda fawned over him, asking again and again if he was alright, to which Suga assured the man that he was just fine.</p><p>	Hinata had met Takeda briefly during one of his first meetings. Takeda was a sensible, enthusiastic man. Though he tended to stay far away from the action, he was always ready to back up the crows, always passionate and ready to step in if need be. He was a good man, and Hinata wished he’d come around more.</p><p>	Hinata took a seat beside Nishinoya who was currently pestering Tsukishima. He didn’t bother to see where Kageyama had ended up.</p><p>	“Great, now that we’re all here, let’s get started,” Daichi said, silencing the rest of the group. “We have extremely important intel that we need to take action on immediately. Sugawara, the floor is yours.” Daichi stepped aside and let the gray-haired man take center stage.</p><p>	“Tonight, we were made aware of a connection between one of our crows and a member of Nekoma.” Hinata had briefly heard about Nekoma and their elusiveness as a group, but he hadn’t quite understood the full scale of their importance. The rest of the crows did, and Hinata was quickly able to gauge their shock at the news.</p><p>	Nishinoya practically squealed, wrapping his arms around Tanaka, who was sitting in front of him. Tsukishima,was as stoic as always, though he did look mildly impressed. Yachi giggled and shook Yamaguchi back and forth. Kageyama didn’t show hardly anything, though Hinata did notice a faint look of sureness on his face. He wondered silently if Kageyama was the one who had met the other member.</p><p>	“We need to be careful about the situation so as to not alarm the stray,” Sugawara said, beckoning the group to calm down. “But we also can’t let something this fortunate pass by. This could be a massive partnership, and could raise our standings immensely. Their technology capabilities combined with ours would exponentialize our worth.” Suga’s eyes lit up just thinking about the growth they could muster.</p><p>	“What would we offer them in return?” Tsukishima asked. “Just because we found them doesn’t mean they want anything to do with us.”</p><p>	“Something tells me we won’t have to worry about that,” Sugawara said. “We’ve got what they want.” Hinata wasn’t sure just what Suga was alluding to, but the answer satisfied Tsukki who promptly quieted down.</p><p>	“We will get in contact with this member soon, but we all need to be on the same page. We will not release the identity of this member for the sake of their own privacy and our own. Should the mission be a success, that identity will be revealed.”</p><p>	“Why can’t we know now?” Hinata asked. He was slightly embarrassed to speak out like this, but his curiosity was practically making him squirm.</p><p>	“Nekoma isn’t exactly public. If, for any reason at all, someone in this room leaked the identity of one of their members, it would be big trouble for everyone. For the time being, we think it’s best that we don’t directly name that person just yet.”</p><p>	What the fuck was wrong with people today? Did no one trust each other? This was supposed to be family, this was supposed to be the one group of people that could trust one another. They’d called an emergency meeting, whisked Hinata away from his night off, all so they could laugh at him in the face and not tell him what was going on? Fuck this.</p><p>	“How are we supposed to do anything about it then?” Hinata asked. He felt himself getting riled up again. His fists clenched softly in his lap.</p><p>	“Those of us who know the identity of said person, which is only three of us at the moment, will handle things going forward.”</p><p>	“Are those the best three people to handle it?” Hinata nearly punched himself in the face after he let the words slip from his mouth. He needed a shock collar or something, the way he said things out of control like that. Who was he to insinuate that any of his peers wouldn’t do a good job? Who was he to assume that he could do any better?</p><p>	“So young, Hinata,” Tsukishima mocked. “You’ve been here for a shorter time than you realize. You don’t know us the way you think you do.”</p><p>	“Hinata, I have no worry that this group would mess up an opportunity like this,” Suga reassured. His voice did contain a note of venom, perhaps a threat or a punishment. “If you have a concern that they would, perhaps you don’t trust us fully.”</p><p>	What a load of hot shit.</p><p>	Hinata was fully disinclined to pay attention. He felt like this no longer concerned him. Kageyama hadn’t trusted him with this? This absolute garbage information? Hinata was filled with rage, a burning hot anger that he hadn’t felt in a really long time. His fingers itched and his brain felt like it was on fire and his chest felt like a hollow cavern. He didn’t understand why it had felt like the world had suddenly turned on him after all this time of peace. Perhaps that was what it was, the calm before the storm. He suddenly wondered if he’d been seeing this life through a rose-tinted lens. Maybe this whole gang thing wasn’t as inclusive as he thought it was.</p><p>	He listened as Sugawara took questions, answering concerns and giving few details about the plan to come. He and Takeda had done most of the planning, and Daichi and Ukai had mostly been there to confirm or deny. Hinata didn’t care- if he wasn’t involved, he didn’t feel any sort of connection to the mission. He just wanted to leave. He wanted to go home, spend the night withering in his own pity, and mourn what was supposed to be a fun night with Kenma. He was completely and utterly disheartened.</p><p>	No, but he shouldn’t be. He had just as much right as the rest of them to know what was going on in their own group. It was supposed to be the Karasuno Crows against the world, not A Few Karasuno Crows. Hinata wasn’t sure if the others would take this lying down, but he sure as hell didn’t want to. He was no less significant to the group than the others. If they couldn’t trust each other, then what was the point of being here at all?</p><p>	But Hinata wouldn’t speak his mind. He’d tried that only moments before only to be shut down. He didn’t feel like fighting a battle he was sure to lose. He didn’t feel like alienating himself in front of everyone and making a fool of his own position.</p><p>	The meeting didn’t continue long. It had been going on long before Hinata had arrived, after all, and it was getting to be later at night than anyone would prefer. Hinata stood by the back doors, not willing to make idle conversation with anyone. He just wanted to leave, and he would make that known with every ounce of his being. It really was a shame that he needed Kageyama for a ride. </p><p>Granted, he could ask anyone else. Everyone drove here- it was an abandoned schoolyard afterall, there was no bus stop here. So why didn’t he? Why couldn’t he just ask someone for a ride? It would be a one time thing, and he was sure that someone like Tanaka or Yamaguchi wouldn’t have a problem with it. So why didn’t he? He didn’t have time to answer that question; Kageyama made his way over from his conversation with Sugawara.</p><p>“You ready?” Kageyama asked quietly. Hinata only nodded, as he didn’t feel like putting in verbal effort. Kageyama pushed open the doors, holding it open for Hinata. It was such a stupid little action, but Hinata’s rage cooled subtly within him. It felt like a form of apology, a way of saying “sorry for not trusting you and making you feel like a fool.” Hinata hoped that was what it meant, at least. </p><p>The meeting had taken such a short time that the car was still somewhat heated. Hinata would have argued that the meeting felt like a lifetime, though. Kageyama was silent as he drove, and Hinata didn’t have anything to say to him. The air was no longer hostile, but it still felt tense. Perhaps that was just Hinata being petty, maybe he was still just holding on to that anger from before. Still, he wasn’t sure how to apologize. “Sorry for calling you out and making things way more emotionally intimate than we’ve ever been while also making you seem like a jerk?” Yeah, that wasn’t happening.</p><p>It wasn’t looking like it was going to have to, either, as they arrived at Hinata’s apartment building a record time. Hinata braced himself, knowing he had to acknowledge Kageyama. He might be petty, but he wasn’t an asshole.</p><p>“Thank you for the ride,” Hinata said duly, sliding out of the car and shutting the door behind him. He wasn’t sure if Kageyama would respond, and quite frankly he wasn’t sure if he was ready for a response. He wasn’t sure what Kageyama would say, if he would say anything at all, and Hinata deemed himself unprepared to handle it. </p><p>He had turned his back, already walking away from the car when he heard the engine cut and the slam of a door. He turned around, only to see Kageyama stepping away from the car and towards Hinata.</p><p>“What are you doing?” Hinata asked, stopping in his tracks.</p><p>“Can I come up?” Kageyama asked. His voice was soft, almost hesitant, and Hinata could read clear as day on his face that the whole thing was embarrassing. Hinata bit back a smile, although very unsuccessfully, and led the way into the building.</p><p>It wasn’t the first time Kageyama had ever come inside, but each time he did, Hinata became wildly self-aware of all of his actions and all of his belongings. He felt like a slob for having dishes still in the sink from breakfast, and he felt childish for having manga laying out on the couch from where he fell asleep reading it the night before. It was his own apartment, for Christ's sake, and yet he was the one who didn’t know where to sit, what to do, if it was proper to take a dump in the bathroom. (Not that he did when Kageyama was over. He was MUCH too worried.)</p><p>Regardless, Kageyama either didn’t notice or didn’t care. He sat comfortably on Hinata’s couch, idling looking at the manga left stray. </p><p>“That was my favorite growing up,” Kageyama said, nodding to the one nearest to him. </p><p>“Mine too,” Hinata admitted.</p><p>Kageyama shifted slightly, and Hinata situated himself on the opposite end of the couch.</p><p>“Do you hate me?” Kageyama asked. He picked at his fingers, staring directly down at them as if the action was so captivating.</p><p>Hinata pondered the question. He didn’t hate Kageyama, but he wasn’t sure how to put just what he felt into words. “I’m not mad, just disappointed?” Who was he, Kageyama’s mom?</p><p>“I don’t hate you,” he said. Hinata’s eyes darted around the room, unable to look directly at Kageyama. He noticed Kageyama glancing up at him only for a moment, but couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact.</p><p>“Are you mad at me?”</p><p>“I’m not exactly happy.”</p><p>Kageyama sighed quietly. It was less a show of annoyance for Hinata and more the acknowledgement of what he had known to be true. As if he was huffing out from the weight of the burden of knowing he was responsible for Hinata’s anger. However selfishly, Hinata hoped Kageyama knew it was his fault.</p><p>“If the situation were any different I would have told you before we even got to Karasuno,” Kageyama admitted. Hinata looked at him quizzically, unsure of what Kageyama meant by that. Kageyama looked up from his fingers and set his hands in his lap.</p><p>“You’re a dumbass, don’t get me wrong.” Hinata frowned. “But I trust you more than anyone, more than I’ve trusted anyone in a long time. You were right about that. But even still, I think I have a hard time really trusting that trust. If that makes any sense.” It didn’t, but Hinata let Kageyama ramble on. </p><p>“I trust that you’re a good person, but I think that’s your biggest downfall. I trust you, really, but I worry that you see too much good in people, I worry that you… I don’t know what I’m trying to say,” Kageyama admitted. He looked down at his hands again, but Hinata wasn’t satisfied.</p><p>“So what, you think I’m too good to know what’s going on? I’ll have you know I’m still a crow, still in a street gang. I’m no better than you, Kageyama.”</p><p>“Morally you may not me,” Kageyama chuckled. “But when it comes to personality, you’re much better. You’re a people person at heart, and I worry that you may accidentally endanger yourself, or one of us.”</p><p>Hinata frowned. “Do you honestly think that I’d be irresponsible about things? Sure, I’m good with people, but that doesn’t automatically mean I’m going to be an airhead about things.”</p><p>“But what if it were someone you cared about? What if you had to test where your loyalties lied? What if you had to risk someone?” Kageyama was becoming genuinely heated up, leaning forward, sitting up from his slouch. “What if you let your emotions get in the way of what you had to do?”</p><p>“I-I don’t think I understand,” Hinata said. “Where is any of this coming from?”</p><p>Kageyama sighed. He scooted towards Hinata on the couch. The distance was already close, as their heated conversation had led them to both become more physically engaged. Hinata leaned away slightly, surprised by Kageyama’s boldness in action.</p><p>“I trust you, but I know you, and I think we both have the same problem.”</p><p>“What problem?”</p><p>More suddenly than Hinata could comprehend, Kageyama’s hands had slithered their way to his jaw. Hinata’s eyes widened, staring directly into Kageyama’s slate-gray. His hands were warm, rough, but gentle. Hinata felt his heart pick up in speed. Kageyama wasn’t one to be so intimate emotionally, let alone physically; many boundaries were being crossed all at once. </p><p>Admittedly, despite his initial shock at the action, he was swiftly melting into Kageyama’s touch. He had to remind himself that he was upset, as his heart was steadily thawing. Kageyama’s eyes searched his own, and he too looked into Kageyama’s soul. He often wasn’t sure what Kageyama was thinking most times, though he had his suspicions. Now, as they stared into each other eyes, Hinata couldn’t help but inwardly laugh. It was so obvious, it was so apparent.</p><p>“You and I are so similar,” Kageyama mumbled. His voice was low and it sounded like it would soon drop into a whisper. “If I’m right about you, if I’m right about us being so similar…” Kageyama pulled Hinata closer, to which Hinata idly compiled. The air between them vibrated as the distance closed, Hinata’s heart thrumming in his chest. Kageyama inched closer, pulling Hinata in with a gentle grasp. Kageyama pulled Hinata towards his chest, nestling Hinata’s head in the crook of his neck. Hinata could hear the rapid beating of Kageyama’s chest. Kageyama rested a hand on the back of Hinata’s head, securing his position. The other arm wrapped around Hinata’s back gently.</p><p>“I’m worried you’ll make the same stupid mistake I did,” Kageyama whispered. The sound of Kageyama’s voice reverberated in Hinata’s head, the physical feel of Kageyama’s chest vibrating as he spoke imprinted in Hinata’s skin. Kageyama smelled of that nice cologne he always did, but something about it, up close like this, smelled human. Hinata realized that it was the smell of Kageyama, the natural, human, smell of him. Likely the smell of his body wash or lotion, something so little and real. </p><p>“Mistake?” Hinata asked.</p><p>“I’m worried you’ll let your emotions take over your judgement.” Hinata shivered slightly as he felt Kageyama smooth his hair. Hinata pulled back from the embrace, although reluctantly. He remained close to Kageyama, though, and reciprocating Kageyama’s intimacy, Hinata took Kageyama’s hand and idly held his fingers. </p><p>Kageyama took a shaky breath. “I’m worried you’ll act off of your emotions and not think about what you’re doing. I’m worried that you’re just as headstrong as me, and it’ll be your downfall as much as mine.”</p><p>Hinata exhaled heavily. Kageyama’s eyes were swimming with emotion, but his face remained as stoic as always. Hinata’s fingers brushed over Kageyama’s hands soothingly.</p><p>“Does this have to do with the announcement?” Hinata asked. He hated to steer the conversation back to such trivial things, but he suspected that this emotional outburst had something to do with it.</p><p>“I made a stupid decision, Hinata, and I don’t want you to hate me for it.”</p><p>Hinata braced himself. God, he really should have savored that intimate moment while it was happening.</p><p>“I found the Nekoma member,” Kageyama admitted. Hinata’s eyes widened again.</p><p>“Is that why you couldn’t say anything?” Hinata asked. Despite Kageyama’s clear discomfort, Hinata’s face broke out in a smile. He squeezed Kageyama’s hand slightly in approval.</p><p>“Sort of. I couldn’t say anything before the meeting regardless or Sugawara would have killed me,” Kageyama chuckled nervously. “If the situation were any different, if only it were slightly different…” Kageyama sighed, and held Hinata’s hands in his own. Hinata’s smile dropped off of his face. Was that not the news? What more could there possibly be to any of it?</p><p>“I made a stupid, stupid decision, and it ended up that I found the Nekoma member. If only it had happened under different circumstances, if only it had been someone else, I would have told you, Hinata. God it’s all so twisted.” </p><p>Hinata was fully frowning now. His stomach twisted with nerves and he shook Kageyama’s hands, prompting him to keep talking.</p><p>“It’s stupid of me to say that I don’t trust your emotions, the way you shouldn’t trust mine. I’m sorry, Hinata. I shouldn’t ask you to carry this burden with me. I shouldn’t ask you to trust me.”</p><p>“Kageyama, please,” Hinata begged. He removed his hands from Kageyama's, placing his hands on Kageyama’s shoulders. Kageyama took a breath that racked his chest. Hinata could feel the emotion vibrating in Kageyama’s chest.</p><p>“I found the Nekoma member tonight. Hinata, I’m so sorry. Kozume Kenma is a member of Nekoma.”</p><p>Hinata froze in time. He felt his heart drop sharply, and his entire body went cold. Despite the feeling of sheer terror washing over him, he chuckled. The more he thought, the harder he laughed. He was nearly doubled over, and he probably would have fallen right off of the couch if it wasn’t for Kageyama holding him up. Hinata wasn’t sure how it happened, but his laughter had transitioned to tears. They streamed down his face, down his neck, dampening the neckline of his shirt. Kageyama could only hold him as Hinata melted down.</p><p>“H-how do you know?” Hinata croaked. He looked up at Kageyama, embarrassed by his current state but much too upset to care.</p><p>“Sugawara and I tailed you tonight,” Kageyama admitted softly. Hinata angrily wiped tears away from his face.</p><p>“You what?” Hinata couldn’t believe it. Any of it. He couldn’t believe that Kenma could be involved with such activities, he couldn’t believe that he’d befriended yet another opponent, and he couldn’t believe that his own team couldn’t trust him alone. It was all too much to handle at once, and Hinata’s mind kept bouncing back and forth between predicaments.</p><p>“I’m so sorry, Hinata. I made a stupid, stupid mistake,” Kageyama whispered, his hands finding their way back to Hinata’s jaw. His thumbs softly wiped away the still falling stream of tears. Hinata tried to back away, tried to get out of Kageyama’s too gentle grasp, but he was too weak to get away.</p><p>“Hinata, I didn’t do it because I didn’t trust you. I did it because I’m an idiot. Because I’m a possessive, jealous dumbass. I did it because I didn’t trust Kenma, because my gut told me there was something off. I know that’s no excuse, but I didn’t do it because I didn’t trust you. I did it because I-”</p><p>“Did you know?” Hinata asked, his voice quivering. “Did you know he was a member before you tailed me?”</p><p>“No, I didn’t,” Kageyama admitted. Hinata sighed heavily, tears still falling down. “But I did know that Kenma wasn’t who you think he is. And that’s not my emotions speaking, that’s what I know to be true. Kozume Kenma isn’t his name, Hinata, It’s Satoru Inei. His tech firm had connections to mine, and my higher ups have had meetings with him. Just like Nekoma, he’s always been cautious about who he sees, cautious about who he partners with. It’s why I didn’t connect the dots sooner.”</p><p>Hinata choked out another sob, which Kageyama wiped away. He couldn’t believe it, he refused to.</p><p>“Even if that’s true, h-how does that mean he’s the m-member?” Hinata asked. He knew he sounded desperate, he knew that he was grasping at anything. He just couldn’t picture Kenma as some notorious tech CEO, as a gang member. He was just the shy man who obsessed over video games, the man who was so familiar with arcades that he could name the year that each machine had come out. He was the man who barely spoke, who raged when he was losing a game, who never got off his phone. He was Kozume Kenma, not whoever Kageyama said he was.</p><p>Right?</p><p>“Sugawara was with me,” Kageyama said. “I don’t want to shift blame, because I’m guilty too, but the whole thing was his idea. I recognized Kenma as Satoru before Suga recognized his tattoo.”</p><p>“Tattoo?”</p><p>“When you started playing DDR. Kenma put his hair up, and just below his ear were three lines- cat scratches, Sugawara said. It symbolizes Nekoma’s mascot, of sorts. It’s subtle, but it’s a famed sign of a Nekoma member.”</p><p>Hinata had nothing left to say. Tears were burning trails down his cheeks where Kageyama couldn’t even keep up with their fall. His throat burned slightly from his sobs, and his eyes were swollen and red. His chest hurt so badly. Everything hurt. </p><p>“Did he target me?” Hinata whispered. “Was he using me because he knew I’m with you guys?” Hinata couldn’t possibly comprehend the idea of being used like this- it wasn’t  something he often had to fear. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if Kenma had ever been a friend at all.</p><p>“I don’t know,” Kageyama whispered back. “I’m sorry, Hinata.”</p><p>Hinata was angry. He was angry that Kageyama would follow him, regardless of who it was that he didn’t trust. He was angry that Sugawara would enable his emotions. He was angry that they would insinuate that Kenma wasn’t Kenma, but some tech giant named Satoru. He was angry that they would insinuate that Kenma was a member of Nekoma. He was angry that there was a possibility that all of that was true. He was angry that it was possible that Kenma had bad intentions the whole time. He was angry that it was possible that he’d never had a friend in the first place.</p><p>Despite all of that rage, Hinata collapsed into Kageyama. He let Kageyama support his weight as he fell back into Kageyama’s chest. Kageyama didn’t miss a beat, holding Kageyama close to him and circling his back lovingly. </p><p>“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he whispered into the ginger’s hair. Hinata shook with emotion, clenching his eyes shut against the floods. He could barely hear Kageyama’s apologies over the sound of his own anger, the sound of blood rushing through his head. He just lay there on Kageyama’s chest, composing himself in the other man’s arms. He wasn’t sure why he did it, why he had resorted to Kageyama’s embrace. After all, he was supposed to be mad at him, supposed to be wildly disappointed in what he’d done. </p><p>“Thank you,” Hinata whispered.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>Hinata sat up, taking Kageyama’s face in his hands. He tilted Kageyama’s face down, pushing his forehead against his own.</p><p>“Thank you for telling me,” Hinata whispered.</p><p>“Do you hate me?” Kageyama asked.</p><p>“I don’t hate you.”</p><p>“Are you mad at me?”</p><p>“I’m mad at a lot of things.”</p><p>“That doesn’t answer my question.”</p><p>“Yes, I am,” Hinata admitted. Kageyama’s eyes widened. He began to back out of Hinata’s hold, but Hinata wouldn’t let him. He wouldn’t let this vulnerable side of Kageyama go just yet.</p><p>“I am mad, but I don’t think I could stay that way.” </p><p>“I’m sorry,” Kageyama repeated, looking directly into Hinata’s eyes as he said it.</p><p>“Can you stay tonight?” Hinata asked. “I don’t want to be alone.”</p><p>Kageyama nodded hesitantly. Hinata knew it wasn’t because he didn’t want to stay, but it was more that he was afraid to intrude. He didn’t want to be around Hinata more than Hinata wanted him to be; after all, it was Hinata’s trust that had just been betrayed. Still, Hinata truly didn’t want to be alone, and despite his feelings about the entire situation, Kageyama was still the only person that Hinata trusted.</p><p>Kageyama helped him turn the couch into a pullout, and kindly offered to make the bed up himself. Hinata knew that Kageyama was doing everything in his power to make it up to him, doing little tiny things, like making the bed and holding open the door. He knew Kageyama’s guilt was legitimate, and it helped quell his anger.</p><p>Hinata loaned him a set of pajama’s his father had given him. His dad always joked that he’d “eventually grow into them!” Of course, he never had, but he kept the clothes anyway. He let Kageyama shower, do whatever he needed. Hinata followed in suit, showering and changing into his pajamas. He returned from the bathroom to see Kageyama propped up on the mattress, changing the channel on the TV.</p><p>“What do you want to watch?” Kageyama asked, holding the remote out to him. </p><p>“I don’t care, you can pick,” Hinata said, sitting down on the other side of the mattress. Kageyama sighed with resignation, knowing it was probably not best to prod Hinata. He settled for a sports movie, one about a volleyball team.</p><p>“You used to play, right?” Kageyama asked.</p><p>Hinata perked up slightly. He recalled his days on the team, all of the good memories he made there. “Yeah, I did. We weren’t any good, though. I practically had to beg my friends to play with me.”</p><p>“I used to play too,” Kageyama said.</p><p>“You did?”</p><p>“I was a setter. A damn good one too.” Hinata thwacked Kageyama with a pillow, smirking at his cockiness. “I wasn’t good enough for my teammates, though. No, I wasn’t a good enough teammate. I miss it, sometimes.”</p><p>Their attention returned to the movie, the story of an unlikely team fighting against all odds to become a powerhouse. It was an endearing story, one that made the viewer feel powerful. Hinata slouched down on the mattress so that his back leaned against the “headboard.”</p><p>“Hinata.” Hinata looked over at Kageyama. “Come here.”</p><p>Hinata squirmed closer to Kageyama, still keeping an acceptable distance between them. Kageyama wasn’t having that, though, and pulled Hinata into him again. Even though he’d spent the good majority of the past hour in Kageyama’s chest, it was still shocking to be there. It was shocking that Kageyama initiated the intimacy, pulling him in close and being so vulnerable. For someone who could barely keep a scowl off of his face, Kageyama was quite a softie. It may have been strange to experience, but Hinata had to admit that he liked it. A lot. It felt safe and warm and completely connected. It was a strange feeling he’d never felt before.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Kageyama whispered yet again. Hinata picked himself up from Kageyama’s chest, turning face to face. He stared directly into Kageyama’s eyes.</p><p>“Please stop apologizing,” he asked.</p><p>“I want you to know how much I regret it,” Kageyama pleaded. “I don’t want you to think I’m okay with what I did.”</p><p>“I know,” Hinata said. “You’ll make it up to me.”</p><p>“How?”</p><p>“You’ll make sure I’m involved with the plan.” Hinata felt only mildly guilty for using Kageyama’s regret to his advantage, but he felt like it was the least Kageyama could do to make up for his shitty actions.</p><p>“But Suga will know I told you everything. He’s going to be pissed.”</p><p>“I don’t care,” Hinata said. His eyes remained firmly trained on Kageyama’s. “Let him know. Let him be mad. I’m going to prove to the both of you that I can keep myself in check.” Kageyama nodded firmly.</p><p>Hinata allowed himself to be pulled back into Kageyama’s chest. He listened to the steady thrum of Kageyama’s heart, breathed in the smell of his own body wash, and let the steady rise and fall of his breathing lull him to sleep. The faint sound of the movie was beginning to fade in and out of his consciousness.</p><p>“You’re too good to me,” Kageyama whispered.</p><p>Hinata drowsily lifted his head off of Kageyama’s chest. With sleep heavy eyes, he looked at Kageyama. The air between them seemed charged. There was such an intense exchange of emotion that night, and no matter the tone of conversation, Hinata noticed that the tension contained one familiar aspect between all of their fights. </p><p>Hinata found himself leaning in, slowly and carefully. He noticed that Kageyama wasn’t backing away, and wasn't even shocked at Hinata’s actions. Hinata felt Kageyama’s hand rise to the back of his head, pulling him in further. The distance between them lessened, the air becoming shared. The tip of Hinata’s nose brushed Kageyama’s, their closeness too much for Hinata’s beating heart to handle.</p><p>Hinata made the final move, the final push forward, and then their lips were touching.</p><p>Kageyama’s lips were soft and gentle. Hinata melted into them despite himself, savoring the feel of Kageyama’s hands and lips on his own. Their lips moved in a steady rhythm, a perfect balance of push and pull, give and take. Kageyama’s breath was minty. Hinata’s hands rested on Kageyama’s chest, clutching at his shirt. Hinata allowed the steady movements to overtake him, for his senses to be given over completely to the other man.  He allowed himself to take in the feel of Kageyama’s hands trailing his back, running through his hair, and along his jaw. He allowed himself to revel in the way Kageyama’s skin felt under his hands, the way that his hair slipped through his fingers like silk. </p><p>Maybe Kageyama was right about them being the same. Making silly decisions based on their emotions and not good judgement.</p><p>No, it was more than that.</p><p>It was a feeling he’d had for a long time, longer than he’d be inclined to admit.</p><p>	An emotion they both shared between themselves but were too afraid to admit. </p><p>	Maybe Kageyama was right about them being the same; maybe that’s why, despite all odds, Shoyo Hinata ended up in Tobio Kageyama’s arms, holding each other close as they fell asleep together on the pullout.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>God. Okay, I didn't exactly plan for the chapter to go down this path, but hey! Who doesn't love a little KageHina angst/fluff! I also didn't intend for it to take up literally half of the chapter, but hey, what are you gonna do. (I also totally didn't get emotional writing it. I'm a mess.)</p><p>I hope you all enjoy this chapter, it's easily one of my favorites thus far. As always, thank you for reading :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. To Gamble, or Not To Gamble</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>That night, Tobio Kageyama slept like a baby. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so emotionally exhausted, and he’d forgotten just how taxing it could be. It was one of the sleeps where you didn’t have dreams, where you woke up feeling heavy, as if you were entirely paralyzed while you slept. Sure enough, Kageyama hadn’t moved an inch all night, laying in the exact same position he remembered falling asleep in.</p><p>	Though, it was still a strange position, one he wasn’t accustomed to sleeping in- not since his sister passed.</p><p>	At first, he thought his eyes were tricking him. He couldn’t comprehend the heavy weight beside him, the steady rise and fall of his arm on an elevated, soft surface. He blinked the sleep away slowly, realizing that the person beside him was none other than Shoyo Hinata. The previous night’s events returned to him slowly, emerging from his mind and tugging at his heart.</p><p>	In no uncertain terms, Kageyama had profusely apologized for making his absolute most regrettable mistake. He remembered holding Hinata’s face in his hands, wiping away his tears and pulling the ginger into his chest. His heart ached as he remembered Hinata’s grief, as he remembered the way the smaller man had collapsed into his arms, desperate for a foundation. Kageyama hated himself for being the reason Hinata had felt like that in the first place, and he was certain to do everything in his power to make it up.</p><p>	He remembered Hinata’s offer to stay, and how reluctant he had been to do so. He was sure Hinata would hate him, absolutely positive Hinata would want nothing to do with him after his confession. Kageyama was fully prepared to walk out of Hinata’s apartment with a broken heart and a shattered soul, but Hinata, too good Hinata…</p><p>	He couldn’t possibly forget crawling into the makeshift bed, surrounded by Hinata’s favorite manga, smelling Hinata’s soap on his body, waiting for Hinata to hopefully join him. It had been so long since he’d allowed himself to be vulnerable, and it felt like a dam had caved in his chest. Half of him was still fighting against that vulnerability, still urging him to bring that guard up. Urging him to walk away from Hinata and the whole thing, to prioritize the crows and not Hinata’s feelings. </p><p>	But when Hinata came out of the bathroom and settled on the mattress next to him, any doubt of that washed away from his mind. There was nothing he wanted more than to hold the ginger close, tell him how sorry he was, make sure that he still wanted to stick around. He could barely control himself as Hinata slithered closer to him, barely holding himself together as Hinata gently lay his head on his chest. By the time he’d let it slip just how much he admired Hinata, he had no more surprise in him. He couldn’t wholly register what he’d said. He couldn’t fully register Hinata’s sleep lidded eyes peering down at his lips. He barely even noticed as Hinata’s breath mingled with his own, the tips of their noses gently brushing against one another.</p><p>	What he did notice, though, was the slow rhythm that Hinata’s lips had against his own. The gentle press of Hinata’s palm against his chest. He couldn’t possibly ignore the feeling of Hinata’s chest pressed against his own. It was as if his senses were electrified, but all of them combined were only saying one thing: HINATA.</p><p>	All of that feeling came rushing back to him as he caught sight of Hinata’s still sleeping body beside his. His arm was slung around Hinata’s waist, where Hinata lay facing away from him. His hair was ruffled from where he was laying against his pillow. Kageyama desperately wished he could see the ginger’s face, his innocent features as he slept peacefully. </p><p>	By some miracle of god, Hinata twisted under Kageyama’s arm. Lazily shifting onto his other side, facing Kageyama. His eyes fluttered slightly, and Kageyama couldn’t resist brushing stray hair away from Hinata’s face. Hinata smiled lazily at the action.</p><p>	“Morning,” he said, his voice thick with sleep. It made Kageyama’s heart thunder an embarrassing amount.</p><p>	“Morning, dumbass.” Kageyama quickly tried to recover. After possibly making Hinata live through one of the most emotionally upsetting nights of his life, what nerve did he have to go and call him a dumbass? First thing in the morning! First thing after waking up in each other's arms! How fucking thick could he be! Luckily for him, Hinata laughed, nuzzling himself into Kageyama’s neck. He pressed a kiss there quickly, but the action made Kageyama’s body shiver.</p><p>	“This mattress is so uncomfortable,” Hinata pointed out, laughing a bit as he sat up and stretched out his back. “DId you sleep okay?”</p><p>	Kageyama sat up as well, rolling his stiff muscles a few times. He hadn’t noticed any discomfort, but not moving for seven hours straight would make anyone’s muscles stiff.</p><p>	“Like a baby,” Kageyama admitted. Hinata smiled his usual sunny smile. Kageyama really needed to get it together, and fast. </p><p>	Hinata settled back onto the mattress despite his complaints. Kageyama let himself fall back down too, not wanting to rush away from this moment, whatever it was. Hinata picked up his hand, running his fingers along his own. Kageyama watched Hinata’s motion, subtle and soothing. He wasn’t sure what Hinata’s fascination with his hands was, but he liked the attention he gave them regardless.</p><p>	“I kissed you out of nowhere, didn’t I?” Hinata said, breaking the easy silence. Kageyama blinked, unsure how to respond.</p><p>	“Yeah, yeah I wasn’t expecting it.” It was true, after all, but he didn’t want Hinata to think he didn’t like it or something. Truth be told, the memory of it would be forever imprinted into his head, as if the feel of Hinata’s lips were tattooed onto his own.</p><p>	“Sorry about that,” Hinata said. His hands remained on Kageyama’s, though his gaze averted.</p><p>	“No, no, please don’t be,” Kageyama said. He was annoyed at how desperate he was sounding. “I just… I don’t know.”</p><p>	“Don’t know what?” Hinata prompted.</p><p>	“I didn’t think you’d want to talk to me, let alone invite me over, let alone kiss me after everything.” Fuck’s sake, Kageyama was totally becoming putty in Hinata’s hands. He was so desperate, so needy, doing everything in his power to get Hinata to understand just how much he needed this.</p><p>	“Don’t ask me,” Hinata snorted. “I don’t quite understand it myself.” Kageyama’s heat sank and soared all at once. He hated that Hinata was still upset, still hated himself for being the leading cause. Still, he allowed himself that small victory, the confirmation that Hinata, despite himself, needed Kageyama right back. It was such a good feeling.</p><p>	They lay together in silence, with feather light touches and the occasional peppering kisses. Kageyama never could have pictured himself being so emotionally or physically intimate with someone like this. He was convinced that there was no one in this world for him, no one that would ever match up to his stupid standards, no one that he’d ever be able to fully trust. He smirked as he considered Hinata, really allowing himself to, at least.</p><p>	Hinata broke every single standard Kageyama had ever set. He was rowdy, and too emotional, and much too stubborn. Kageyama had never really pictured himself with someone that he’d have to wrangle around, but alas, here he was laying next to a fireball. He never would have predicted a development like this in their relationship, and he silently prayed it wasn’t a one off. That Hinata wasn’t just looking for a night of comfort. Kageyama wasn’t sure what he’d do if Hinata wanted something more permanent, though. Was he ready for something that commitment-heavy himself? It scared him half to death.</p><p>	After a while longer, the pair decided it was past due time to get up and move on with their days. Kageyama felt like he was taking the walk of shame as he left Hinata’s apartment, clad in last night’s clothes. He scowled to himself as reality set it. He was such a baby, so willing to comply, so willing to drop everything for Hinata. He silently prayed that none of Hinata’s neighbors would see him leave like this. Granted, none of them would probably know the difference.</p><p>	He’d be returning after work anyway to pick up Hinata for the meeting. Sugawara was expecting him to be there so that they could begin to plan a strategy. Kageyama also needed to plan a way to get Hinata involved without getting his ass kicked. He silently prayed that Sugawara would somehow be planning to use him, though he honestly didn’t think that was the case. Still, he wondered who the other person was that Suga had mentioned. He’d said that three people knew the identity of the member, but only he and Suga had seen it for themselves. Most likely, Sugawara had told Daichi, but even then, Daichi didn’t have a clear picture of Kenma. He supposed he’d find out at the meeting.</p><p> </p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>	Kageyama thought he was prepared to face Suga that night, but the reality of the situation was setting in as he walked into Suga’s office with Hinata by his side. At first Sugawara didn’t seem so suspicious of anything, greeting the pair with an amiable wave and a smile. HInata smiled and waved back.</p><p>	Kageyama noticed two chairs set up in front of Suga’s desk. He figured they were for himself and the mystery person who would be joining them for planning. As if they were on the same train of thought, Hinata took a seat in one of the chairs while Kageyama brought another one around for himself. He positioned the chair beside Hinata’s sitting in it as well. Suga eyed Kageyama and Hinata quizzically, unsure why they were messing with his setup. </p><p>	“I told him,” Kageyama admitted. Sugawara balked, clearly not expecting this explanation. HIs jaw hung slack as he tried to comprehend what Kageyama had just said.</p><p>	“You w-what? Why? Hinata?” Hinata sat still as Sugawara glared between the two of them, unsure what to make of the situation.</p><p>	“I told him about Kenma, how we found out and everything.”</p><p>	“WHY?” Suga was clearly confused, unsure of what would motivate Kageyama to open up about what the two of them had done.</p><p>	“I could tell something was up with him,” Hinata explained. “I made him tell me what was going on.”</p><p>	“So you just… told him? Just like that?” Sugawara exclaimed.</p><p>	“Yeah, I did.” Kageyama held his breath while Suga began to back and forth. He was totally getting his ass beat.</p><p>	“You do realize that it was imperative that we kept the identity secret… Especially from Hinata.” Suga’s voice lacked his usual sweet tone. He looked at the ground as he paced, leaving Kageyama to look around the room uncomfortably.</p><p>	“Why especially from me?” Hinata piped up. Kageyama wished he’d just keep his mouth shut for once. This was his own brunt to bear and Hinata speaking out wasn’t going to help his already sour situation.</p><p>	“You were under the impression that Kenma was an innocent friend. We couldn’t have you somehow doing something with this new information,” Suga explained.</p><p>	“God, why are you all so convinced that I’m gonna mess something up!” Hinata was exasperated, tired of defending himself. Kageyama honestly felt bad for him. Even though they were all pretty certain Hinata was a loose cannon, admittedly himself too, they didn’t know him enough to really be able to paint him as unstable.</p><p>	“Sugawara, I apologize for making the decision to tell him, but I don’t regret telling him at all,” Kageyama said. His voice was saturated with conviction, desperately trying to prove to Sugawara that the choice wasn’t a loss. “I think Hinata is our best, and only way to get Kenma comfortable.”</p><p>	Suga pondered Kageyama’s words. His jaw worked intently, and Kageyama was certain that he was trying to make light of this curveball situation. </p><p>	“I was ready to pitch an idea that would exclude Hinata entirely, and I was fairly confident that it would go well. It isn’t that I don’t think Hinata is capable of handling something like this, I just don’t believe he’s ready to take this on just yet.” Kageyama saw Hinata deflate ever so slightly beside him.</p><p>	“Yes, but is there any way that we could use him to our advantage? Kenma clearly isn’t suspicious of him in any way, and we need to use that as much as we can.” </p><p>	Suga didn’t have time to answer Kageyama's remark, as the door to Suga’s office opened and a new body joined the other three in the room. Kageyama felt a scowl arise on his face, his eyebrows knitted together with confusion. Out of all of the people he expected, it certainly hadn’t been this one. </p><p>	Kei Tsukishima entered the room with a slight nod, a greeting of sorts. He took a seat on the other side of Kageyama. </p><p>	“I don’t understand why I’m here,” Tsukishima said bluntly.</p><p>	“Neither do I,” Kageyama retorted quietly.</p><p>	“I don’t understand why shrimpy’s here either,” Tsukishima barked back, nodding to the ginger on Kageyama’s other side.</p><p>	“Hey!” Hinata exclaimed, offended at the nickname.</p><p>	“Why’s he here?” Kageyama asked, pointing at the blonde addition to the group.</p><p>	“He’s good with strategy and intel,” Sugawara shrugged. “I thought he’d be a good addition to the planning committee.”</p><p>	“Planning committee?” Kageyama shook the tacky name from his head. “So you took it upon yourself to reveal the identity of the member to Tsukishima, but when I reveal it to Hinata there’s an issue?” Kageyama hated most people, but hypocrites were at the top of his list.</p><p>	“Ah, ah, ah,” Suga shushed, returning to his seat at his desk. “That’s where you’re mistaken. I didn’t tell him the identity. I simply asked if he’d be interested in helping move forward with the plan. I wasn’t going to reveal the identity without your confirmation. We’re leading this job together, yknow.” </p><p>	“Why does this fool know the identity before I do?” Tsukishima teased. Hinata was getting ready to speak out again, but Kageyama interrupted him before he had the chance.</p><p>	“Again, I’m sorry I made the decision to tell him without you. I even tried to tell him that I wasn’t allowed to.”</p><p>	“So it’s my fault that you told me?” Hinata exclaimed.</p><p>	“No, no,” Kageyama was getting flustered, losing his train of thought as he tried to untangle himself from this mess. “I told him because I wanted him to know the truth about his supposed friend. You said it yourself, Suga, he could have been in trouble. I understand your reservations about telling him, and trust me, I hold the same concerns. However, I think it’s the overall best choice to tell him and avoid whatever issues we would have to handle in the future.”</p><p>	Suga considered Kageyama’s reasoning. Kageyama wasn’t sure what, if any, rebuttal Sugawara would have for his logic. As it stood, there was no real disadvantage to Hinata knowing.</p><p>	“We need to fast track this job as best we can,” Sugawara resolved. Kageyama let out a sharp breath. “I don’t like that Hinata knows, but I especially don’t like that you made the decision to tell him without consulting me first.” Sugawara shot a nasty glare at Kageyama, one that nearly made him bow his head in shame. God, Kageyama would have hated to be scolded like that by Suga if he was one of his students.</p><p>	“Thank you, Sugawara!” Hinata said, bowing his head. “I promise you both to not let you down.”</p><p>	“I never said you’d be part of the plan,” Sugawara said, shooting the same daggers towards Hinata. “Though, I do think your presence would be a sort of cushion for us. Like Kageyama said, Kenma is more likely to have less suspicion if you’re involved.”</p><p>	“Is anyone gonna tell me anything or…?” Tsukishima was getting frustrated with the lack of information. Kageyama smirked at the irony of it; the smartest person in the room had the least information. He liked watching Tsukishima squirm.</p><p>	“Kageyama, you can explain this one,” Suga said, handing the floor to Kageyama.</p><p>	“A friend of Hinata’s, going by Kenma Kozume, is the Nekoma member. Though, I recognized him as someone different. His real name is Satoru Inei, he’s a tech CEO that my company is partnered with.” Kageyama watched as Tsukishima’s eyes widened ever so slightly. </p><p>	“That name is familiar,” Tsukishima said. His eyebrows pulled together in confusion. “I can’t place a name to a face… Hell, I don’t even know where I heard that name for the first time.”</p><p>	“Satoru or Kenma?” Hinata asked. </p><p>	“Satoru… I don’t work around tech, that’s not a name I’d naturally be familiar with.”</p><p>	“He’s known for being a recluse of sorts. He’s incredibly successful, but he’s not exactly social about it. It took me weeks to figure out who he was. My higher ups have made contact with him only a few times, I never would have known the difference otherwise.” Kageyama immaturely felt a deal to his ego every time he admitted that. He hated when things went unnoticed like that.</p><p>	“That’s also, conveniently enough, exactly how Nekoma operates,” Suga added.</p><p>	“Right. Of course, we didn’t suspect him to be a member until he pulled his hair back.”</p><p>	“I challenged him to Dance Dance Revolution-”</p><p>	“Hold on. Where were you?” Tsukishima asked. He wasn’t stupid, but he sure was a prick.</p><p>	“The arcade,” Hinata answered innocently. Tsukishima sniggered a laugh. “Shut up! He likes games!”</p><p>	“We tailed him to make sure something like this wasn’t happening,” Sugawara added. “We didn’t actually have any real suspicions that it was, but it’s a good thing we did it.”</p><p>	“Wait! Is that why Sugawara ran in after us last night?” Hinata asked. Kageyama thought back to the night before.</p><p>	Sure enough, Sugawara and Kageyama decided that there wasn’t enough time to drive back to Karasuno and then back to the arcade to get Hinata. Of course, it also couldn’t look suspicious that Sugawara had left home base just for the sake of picking up Hinata. That was how Sugawara ended up in the back of Kageyama’s trunk, clinging on for dear life and praying to god that there weren’t any treacherous potholes in the road.</p><p>	“He was in the trunk,” Kageyama said, chuckling a bit at the image.</p><p>	“Not important,” Suga interrupted, though Kageyama didn’t miss the embarrassed smile threatening to take over his face. “The point is, when he pulled his hair back, I recognized a tattoo. It’s rumored to be a symbol of a member of Nekoma. Obviously there’s no known proof of that, but it was all too convenient that an elusive tech CEO with an alias would have it.”</p><p>	“What was the tattoo?” Tsukishima asked.</p><p>	“It’s really not important,” Suga responded. Kageyama looked at him quizzically. The tattoo was the most important part, how could he brush it off so easily?</p><p>	“We need to somehow lure Kenma into our territory. That’s the only way to confirm who he is.” Suga leaned forward on his desk, looking between the three pairs of eyes before him. “If he is who we suspect he is, then we’ve hit the jackpot.”</p><p>	“And if he’s not?” Hinata asked. Kageyama feared this would still be a concern. He knew deep down that Hinata was still in complete disbelief of the whole situation, desperate for it all to not be real.</p><p>	“If it’s not… we're going to have quite the lawsuit on our hands,” Tsukishima noted. “We can’t take one of the most successful tech giants in custody and demand he reveal his affiliations to us. He’d either turn us in, or drain us of everything we’ve got. Or both.” The grave reality of the situation really began to set in with that. If they were wrong about Kenma, they were risking everything to find out.</p><p>	“If we want to be safe, absolutely safe about this, I think we need Hinata to be our bait,” Kageyama said, looking at Hinata. Hinata seemed to light up at the prospect of having such a pivotal role in this job. “We need to get him and Kenma somewhere that we can monitor. We need to see if he says, shows, or does anything that confirms or denies our suspicions.”</p><p>	“Right,” Suga said, excitedly drumming on his desk. “We can give Hinata a script of sorts, things he can say to prompt Kenma.”</p><p>	“What if he doesn’t give up any information? What if there’s no hints given?” Hinata asked.</p><p>	“Then we’ll just have to decide,” Kageyama said. “We’re going to have to leave it alone, or take the risk.”</p><p> </p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>	This was precisely how Shoyo Hinata ended up in a private room at the bar with Kozume Kenma only one week later. He’d strongly detested the idea of forcing Kenma in a public space like this, and he knew that Kenma hated being in situations like this. Tsukishima insisted that it was the only space that they could safely bug, and Kageyama insisted that being in a private space like his own apartment would only increase danger. After all, they were still unsure if Kenma had any ulterior motives. Hinata strongly doubted that he did, but he figured it was safest to abide by his team’s suggestions.</p><p>	Tsukishima had cameras and microphones on almost every surface possible. The video and audio would be wirelessly fed into the “control room,” which was really just the back of a van that the other crows would be in behind the bar. Hinata thought it was overkill to have all of that expensive equipment just for this little precursor, but Tsukishima insisted that he needed to have all possible angles for the night. Ironically enough, Daichi had needed him that night and he was unable to actually be a part of the job. Sugawara said it was no use to try and wiggle him out of it, that they could just fill him in with the information when they had the chance.</p><p>	Hinata was considerably nervous that night. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to act the same way he usually did. Being suspicious of a friend didn’t exactly make for a lighthearted time, which made Hinata endlessly thankful for the bar right in front of him. Kageyama had pulled him aside before, saying “If you get drunk and say too much I’ll kill you myself.” Hinata had only smiled in response, blowing him a petty kiss. Kageyama was caught off guard so intensely that all he could do was sputter before walking away.</p><p>	Speaking of Kageyama, Hinata wasn’t all too sure where they stood. After that first morning they had parted, the intimacy between them had gone down a drastic amount. So much so, that Hinata truly struggled to come to terms with the fact that it had really happened. They hadn’t ever spent the night again, never talked about it again, and it felt to him like the small touches and glances that they shared even before that fateful night had diminished. It bothered him slightly, but not enough for him to say anything about it. After all, what did he expect? </p><p>	Waiting around for Kenma’s arrival text was hell. His palms were clammy and he couldn’t stop wobbling on his feet as he looked out the bar window. He felt intoxicated already, even though he’d made sure to heed Kageyama’s advice and stay away from getting himself even a little tipsy. They’d agreed to meet at 8pm, and it was nearing 7:55. The room was fully set up, and everyone was in their assigned place. Hinata looked left and right, hoping maybe he could scope Kenma out before he made it into the building. The last thing he needed was to be snuck up on.</p><p>	His phone buzzed in his hand, and with lightning fast reflexes, he opened it up to find a message. Though, it was from Sugawara, not Kenma. “Stick to what you’ve got,” it read. Hinata rolled his eyes at the message, but took it’s message to heart. He’d been given prompts to prod Kenma with, and he was told not to deviate too much from them without making it seem unnatural. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to do it, but he’d sure as hell try.</p><p>	Moments later, Hinata spotted Kenma’s long blondish hair entering the bar. He walked over to Kenma, waving in greeting with his usual amiable smile. It was so natural that Hinata honestly believed that he might be able to pull this off easier than he thought.</p><p>	“Hi, Shoyo,” Kenma said. He kept his eyes trained on Hinata as if he was too afraid to look anywhere else.</p><p>	“Hey! Our room is in the back,” Hinata said, taking the lead towards the bugged room. Kenma followed close by, doing all but clinging to Hinata’s sleeve as they went. Yeah, no way this dude was in a gang like Nekoma. He could barely even hold his own in a bar.</p><p>	Hinata unlocked the door to the room, a darkly lit lounge with an open bar. He’d specifically requested no bartender, and he intended to impress Kenma with his barista talents. Not that bartending and being a barista were anything like each other, but that wasn’t any of Kenma’s business. Hinata settled himself behind the bar, Kenma sitting facing him. Hinata was wildly aware of the camera placements around the room, and he felt like he was performing on some shitty reality tv show. At first he was nervous that Kenma would somehow sense them, but he was too busy typing something away on his phone to notice his surroundings hardly at all. Still, Hinata almost felt the need to put on a ridiculous accent.</p><p>	“Here’s a cool and fun fact about me,” Hinata said, pulling out a bunch of shot glasses. “I was actually known as the Mystery Man at university because I was such a good mixologist. No one could tell what I was giving them.” Hinata shot a tacky wink at Kenma who smirked.</p><p>	“No one actually called you that, did they?” Kenma asked, sliding his phone into his pocket. </p><p>	“I didn’t even go to university,” Hinata admitted with a chuckle.</p><p>	“Ah, probably for the better,” Kenma teased. “Otherwise you probably would have gotten arrested for your mysterious concoctions.” Hinata laughed at Kenma’s snarkiness. For such a quiet guy he sure had a mouth on him.</p><p>	“What are you thinking for tonight?” Hinata asked, sliding a few bottles of alcohol around the bar. </p><p>	“Surprise me.”</p><p>	“Oh, you give me too much power!” Hinata exclaimed sinisterly. He had just the thing in mind, something he and Kenma would both enjoy (hopefully).</p><p>	They chatted amiably as Hinata mixed their drinks together. He figured he could at least push off the script until Kenma had had a little drink. He would just have to be extra careful to stay in control himself. After showing off his flashy mixologist skills, he handed Kenma a shot glass, taking one for himself and sitting beside Kenma at the bar. He was in control of the conversation, and decided to steer things towards his goal.</p><p>	“I don’t think I’ve ever asked,” Hinata said, swirling his drink in the glass, “what do you do?”</p><p>	“Oh, I work for a tech company. Game design, specifically.” </p><p>	“That’s cool! You must enjoy it,” Hinata said happily. It didn’t help his case in finding out whether or not Kenma was a crow, but it narrowed down Kageyama’s accusation. </p><p>	“Yeah, it’s not so bad. I couldn’t work somewhere that I didn’t like.”</p><p>	“Me neither. But I only work at the cafe, so I don’t really have much of a say.”</p><p>	“Do you like it?” Kenma brought the shot glass to his lips. “Your job there, I mean?”</p><p>	“Yeah, but it’s not exactly something I can do forever,” Hinata said. He threw back his shot; it stung perfectly on the back of his throat. “I don’t know what else I’d want to do though. I’m sort of flighty with stuff like that.”</p><p>	“What did you picture doing as a kid?”</p><p>	Hinata thought about it. He knew he never wanted to be in business; his dad was never home, and when he was, it was only to pick up a change of clothes. He never was around on birthdays, holidays or anniversaries. It was the perfect coverup for his second family, too. Hinata never wanted to go into business because he didn’t want to end up like his father.</p><p>	“Anything but business,” Hinata said, resisting the itch in his bones to grab another shot. “But that doesn’t exactly narrow anything down.”</p><p>	“Sure it does,” Kenma said, knocking his elbow on Hinata’s. “There’s a lot that involves business.”</p><p>	“Yeah, most things,” Hinata teased. “All I know is that I don’t ever want to be a businessman. I don’t want to sit at a desk for hours each day or constantly be catching flights to meaningless meetings. I also don’t want to have to deal with snotty rich people.” Hinata was only being honest, but he was proud of himself for wording his feelings in such a way that could potentially prod Kenma to say something about his line of work. He wondered if Sugawara was proud of him.</p><p>	“Yeah, but you’d only have to deal with people like that if you were high up on the food chain.”</p><p>	“What, you don’t think I could be high up on the food chain? You have no faith in me,” Hinata pouted.</p><p>	“No, it’s just hard to get there,” Kenma deadpanned. He looked away from Hinata, toying with the little bit of liquid left in his shot glass. “Sure, you’d have to deal with pretentious assholes, but you’d be one yourself. Wouldn’t that make it that much more tolerable?” Hinata noted a bit of bitterness in his tone, a sort of sardonic melody in his words.</p><p>	“I guess so. I just don’t want to be one of those guys. I don’t want to be around those kinds of people, even if it means I’m successful.”</p><p>	“Yeah. It’s probably not worth it anyway,” Kenma agreed, taking the last bit of alcohol into his system. “You could probably open up your own bar though. This shit’s good.” Hinata laughed at Kenma’s blunt compliment, but he really considered his words. Hinata had never considered starting something of his own before. Maybe that was something that could be possible for him, a future he’d never considered before.</p><p>	“You want another?” Hinata asked, getting up from the barstool.</p><p>	“Yes, sir,” Kenma said, handing Hinata his empty shot glass.</p><p>	“Do you like anyone at your job?” Hinata asked, preparing another round for the two of them.</p><p>	“I suppose I have a few decent coworkers,” Kenma mused. “Still, they get on my nerves to no end. I prefer to work on my own, but some of the guys there just love to have social hour all day. Not that the job is meant to be done alone, but I don’t know how they’re able to get anything done by talking so damn much.” Hinata laughed, fully aware of Kenma’s antisocial tendencies.</p><p>	“Even if they’re talking about the games?” Hinata asked.</p><p>	“Absolutely. They don’t know their history, they just like the tech of it all. Can’t blame them, though. It’s cool shit.”</p><p>	Hinata slid Kenma’s shot glass back over, sitting down at the bar once again.</p><p>	“You oughta tell me where you work,” Hinata prodded. He knew he was going a bit off script with this, but he figured it was worth a shot. Maybe he could elicit a reaction with it. “I’ll come visit and take those dudes off your back.”</p><p>	“I, uh, don’t think that’d be possible, as much as I’d pay money for you to do that.” Hinata’s ears perked up slightly, praying that Suga and Kageyama were paying extra attention here.</p><p>	“Why’s that?” Hinata asked with mock confusion.</p><p>	“My company is super strict with trespassers and all. They won’t let you come in unless you’re a registered employee or, like, the police. All about secrecy and not letting our developments get screwed or leaked.” Kenma threw his shot back, wincing and coughing slightly at the sensation. Reaction elicited.</p><p>	“Ah, that makes sense, I guess,” Hinata said, nodding. “Too bad. I would have loved to get those guys all riled up.”</p><p>	“You wouldn’t even have to try that hard, I assure you,” Kenma said annoyedly. Just the thought of his co-workers irked him. </p><p>	Their conversation continued, talking about jobs, dreams, and the world around them. Despite Hinata’s efforts to follow Sugawara’s script, he couldn’t elicit any information regarding Nekoma. He didn’t dare point out Kenma’s tattoo, it would be too obvious. Kenma hadn’t given up any information about friends, family, or anything else about his job. Hinata hated looking for hints and loopholes in Kenma’s speech. He just wanted to have a fun night with his friend, but he couldn’t do that with the crawling feeling of cameras and microphones all around him. He couldn’t do that knowing that he had to steer the conversation in a way he desired. </p><p>	He tipped back his third shot of the night, hoping against all hope that it would be over soon. Hoping that they could put this entire event behind them. Hoping against all hope that this would all be for nothing, and that the crows wouldn’t have to deal with this any longer.</p><p>	Kenma’s phone rang, loudly in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the ID before declining the call and putting in back in his pocket. Before he could pick up where they’d left off before the interruption, his phone buzzed again.</p><p>	“Sorry about this,” Kenma said, pulling out the phone again. “Do you mind if I take this?”</p><p>	“Not at all!” Hinata said, waving off the interruption lightly. He watched carefully as Kenma left the room standing out in the hallway where he could get a semblance of privacy. Not that he would, of course. Tsukishima had insisted on wiring the hallway outside of the room too. Hinata cursed his ingenious thinking, though he was glad he wouldn’t have to hear his snarky ego when he returned to the van.</p><p>	“I told you all of those cameras were necessary,” he’d say, aiming the comment at Hinata. Hinata would just roll his eyes or ignore it entirely. He didn’t like to fight Tsukishima, it wasn’t much fun at all.</p><p>	Out of nowhere, it hit Hinata like a ton of bricks. The phone Kenma had taken out of his pocket wasn’t the same one he’d walked in with. It was an entirely different phone, it had to be. Kenma’s usual phone was red, a bright red phone, one of the fancy ones with three cameras on the back. The one Kenma had just pulled out, though, was more plain. It was still red, but it looked smaller. He wasn’t paying attention to the amount of cameras on the front, if only because a small sticker on the corner caught his attention- a paw. </p><p>	Hinata was freaking the fuck out, and he was struggling against his fight or flight to remain calm. He wasn’t sure what to do, and he couldn’t make too much of a scene in case Kenma returned soon. He let his face fall into his hands, scrubbing at his eyes and hair with a wild amount of force. He looked around the room, hoping to god that he’d make eye contact with at least one camera, not that it honestly mattered, as he knew that Sugawara and Kageyama could see him deteriorate in real time anyway. </p><p>	“Did you see that?!” Hinata whispered yelled into thin air. He wasn’t sure if they had, and it’s not like he was hooked up with a receiver to hear their confirmation or denial. “The fuckin’ phone! It’s the phone!” Hinata pounded on the bar lightly with his fist as to not make a sound.  He punched his thigh over and over, desperate to get rid of this frantic energy. He needed nothing more in that moment than to confirm what he’d seen. He needed an excuse to leave, and he needed it now.</p><p>	“Hinata,” Kenma said, announcing his return to the room. Hinata straightened himself up faster than the speed of light itself, turning around with an easy smile on his face. He was definitely either a sociopath or a really good actor. He prayed he didn’t have scratch marks on his face.</p><p>	“Everything good?” he asked breezily.</p><p>	“Feels like karma, but there’s an emergency at work. Same talkative assholes accidentally deleted a huge render. I’ve got to go try and recover it for them.” Kenma’s pupils were so wide that Hinata worried he’d drugged Kenma on accident. Or maybe he was getting ready to attack. Either way, Hinata was more than ready to get Kenma out of here.</p><p>	“Ah, of course,” Hinata said dramatically. “Always the talkative ones.”</p><p>	“Thank you for tonight,” Kenma said. “I had fun.”</p><p>	“I did too!” Hinata said. It was only a little bit of a lie. “I’ll walk you out.”</p><p>	And that’s exactly what Hinata did. He dropped Kenma off outside the bar, waving goodbye and watching as Kenma walked down the block and around the corner. When he was absolutely positive that Kenma wasn’t around anymore, he turned in the opposite direction and walked as calmly as he could towards the alley that the crows’ van was parked in. When he got to the alley, he broke out in a full sprint. His entire body was shaking, racked with anxious energy. He probably looked like a complete crack addict, and he was fully aware of how suspicious he looked. He didn’t care at all, though, he just needed to scream.</p><p>	He knocked three times on the door, dancing like an idiot until Kageyama opened the door, quickly ushering Hinata inside. The moment the door shut behind him, Hinata let out the most piercing squeal he’d ever let out in his life.</p><p>	“FUCK!” He yelled, making Sugawara practically jump out of his seat. “FUCK FUCK FUCK! Oh my god!”</p><p>	“Holy hell, dumbass, you need to shut up,” Kageyama said, smacking Hinata upside the head.</p><p>	“You have… no fuckin’ clue.... How stressful that was,” Hinata said, catching his breath.</p><p>	“Are you kidding?” Sugawara said. “Nothing even happened.”</p><p>	Hinata glanced up at Sugawara in complete disbelief. “Did you not watch anything? Didn’t you see any of it? Did you not see my meltdown at the bar?”</p><p>	“No, Hinata. We just sat here and didn’t look at the live feed the whole time,” Kageyama deadpanned.</p><p>	Hinata slumped down in a seat, throwing his hands up in the air. “Well, shit, you guys!”</p><p>	“I’m sorry? Your conversations were mundane,” Sugawara noted. “I mean, I think it’s safe to say that he’s definitely who Kageyama says he is. Satoru Inei, I mean. But there’s nothing that I saw that points to him as a Nekoma member other than that tattoo, which we didn’t even get a clear view of. God, Hinata, why didn’t you play with his hair?” Hinata cringed. Sugawara had literally suggested that Hinata play with Kenma’s hair so that it would reveal the spot of his neck where the tattoo was. Hinata had been very vocal about his disgust with that. Kenma wasn’t touchy, and they weren’t little girls. It would be so invasive to just reach over and play with a grown man’s hair.</p><p>	“Did you not listen in on his conversation?” Hinata pleaded.</p><p>	“We did, but it really was just work related. Nothing sketchy on that end,” Kageyama confirmed.</p><p>	Well, can we run back the tapes, at least? I want to show you what I found.” Sugawara nodded, giving Hinata control of the feeds. He rewinded the recorded footage all the way back to where they’d first gone in the room. The three crows watched as Hinata and Kenma entered the room.</p><p>	“Pay attention to his phone, okay? See what it looks like?” Hinata urged. They watched as Kenma typed away on the phone, the red, three camera phone. Hinata sped up the recording, moving to the point where Kenma’s other phone began to ring.</p><p>	“What am I supposed to be looking at now?” Sugawara asked, surveying the new feed.</p><p>	“Look at his phone. There’s differences.” The three watched closely as Kenma removed the phone from his pocket. Sure enough, there was only one camera on it, and a tiny paw print sticker on the lower left-hand side. God bless Tsukishima and his expert camera angles.</p><p>	“Holy shit,” Kageyama whispered, pausing the video on the frame where the entire phone was visible. “That’s huge.”</p><p>	“It’s definitely sketchy,” Sugawara said, taking a photo of the frame. “It’s not hard proof, but still.”</p><p>	“It could just be a work phone,” Kageyama noted.</p><p>	“That doesn’t make sense, though,” Sugawara argued. “The paw print is all too suspicious. Why would he need a separate work phone, anyway?”</p><p>	“Maybe he uses one for gaming and the other for contact?” Hinata suggested.</p><p>	“No, that’s not it,” Kageyama said, pacing the back of the van. “Either way, I think we can confirm that he’s Satoru Inei. I think the phone proves that especially.”</p><p>	“There’s just not enough to prove him as Nekoma for sure,” Suga said, leaning back in his seat. “There’s enough to make him look suspicious, for sure, but nothing concrete enough. We don’t have enough information about Nekoma itself to be able to say.”</p><p>	“So what,” Hinata pleaded, “we just leave it alone? We just leave him alone?”</p><p>	“It’s not that easy,” Kageyama snarled. “We’ve got more evidence than we need. The tattoo, his job, the backup phone and the sticker. We’re never going to have hard evidence unless we run with the small bit we have. We don’t have the time to go looking for more. You’re never going to get more than this. Not realistically, anyway.” Hinata sank down in his seat. He knew Kageyama was right, he just wasn’t sure where to go from here.</p><p>	“So what do we do?” Hinata asked, looking to Sugawara for guidance.</p><p>	“You know him most. Do you honestly think he’d be Nekoma?” Hinata pondered Suga’s question. It didn’t seem fair. He’d been friends with Koganegawa for weeks without suspecting a thing, and it had turned out that he’d been involved with Dateko. Who was he to figure out if someone was affiliated? He hadn’t known when he’d met Kageyama, Kogane, or now even Kenma. He had no idea whether or not Kenma was who he thought. But he did know what he saw right in front of him. He did know that this moment was pivotal for the crows. He cared about Kenma as a friend, but he cared about the crows as a family. He cared about himself. If he bagged this job, it would be a win-win situation. If he didn’t, though, he risked everything: the crows, his friend, his life. Was it honestly really worth that risk?</p><p>“I don’t know,” Hinata admitted. Sugawara and Kageyama seemed to deflate, their hopes for a new adventure crushed. “I don’t know, but I sure as hell think it’s worth the gamble.”</p><p>The two crows looked up at Hinata, surprise saturated in their faces.</p><p>“Are you serious?” Sugawara whispered.</p><p>“Dead. I don’t know if he is, but I think we deserve to find out.”</p><p>And so, after debugging the private room and backing up their footage, they returned to Karasuno with high spirits and big dreams. They were going to get to Nekoma, whatever the risk.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi!!! I have cool and fun news!!!! In two days!!!! I am posting a reaaaaaally long Bokuaka fic!!!!! Please be on the lookout for that!!!!! It's going to be heart wrenching and I am so very excited!!!! </p><p>Next chapter will be released after Christmas. As always, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy :)))</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Cats in the Bag</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shoyo Hinata had never been sure exactly what it meant to be loyal to something. Never before in his life had he ever been in a situation like this; where other people depended on him, needed him, relied on him. Never before had he needed to consider someone else’s point of view before doing something or making a decision. He’d only ever thought of himself, what was best for him, what would protect him.</p><p>	Yet, now that he was with the crows, that way of life was much behind him. Hinata found himself making a decision that he never thought he would have to. He never wanted to target Kenma, never anticipated having to choose between Kenma and the crows. But as everything stood now, Hinata realized that there was no choice. He could either let the crows down, isolate himself, and run the risk that Kenma actually was from Nekoma, or he could follow the crows and accuse his friend of being a savage gang member. Either way, Hinata wasn’t sure that he’d like the outcome.</p><p>	In the end, Hinata knew that the only way he could win was to go after Kenma. He ran the risk of not only losing a friend, but getting himself into unthinkable legal trouble. Despite these facts, Hinata felt much more comfortable knowing that he had the crows behind him. Of course, they’d be implicated as well if anything went wrong, but having the group’s support, Hinata felt that much more confident that nothing would go wrong at all.</p><p>	They’d spent the past two days working tirelessly to come up with an airtight plan to infiltrate Nekoma. Hinata had taken his days off work, spending his days at Karasuno with Sugawara, who’d called out from school using his paid sick days. </p><p>	“It’s the perfect deal,” Suga had explained, kicking back in his desk chair casually. “They pay me, I get time off. Why wouldn’t I use those days?”</p><p>	“Because what if you actually get sick later on?” Hinata’s logic was sound, and that irritated Suga, who scrunched his face in dissatisfaction.</p><p>	“Don’t sour the mood,” he’d pouted as Hinata giggled.</p><p>	The nights were sleepless and the days consumed his soul. Hinata was a restless person as it was, but with the added pressure of the situation, Hinata was completely unhinged. He didn’t think he had an anxiety disorder going into it, but he easily could have had one going out. His bathroom habits became more and more frequent as the days went on, and he often found himself dreading the next attack as soon as the previous one ended.</p><p>	In the worst case scenario, everything would fall to shit. In the best, it would be sunshine and rainbows for the rest of his life, or whatever. Hinata’ stupid little pea brain couldn’t accurately weigh the consequences of what his actions were soon to be, and desperately he tried to distract himself from over analyzing what could possibly happen. 		</p><p>	It was all going quite smoothly until the night that the plan was put into action.</p><p>	It was an average Thursday night, one where the cool breezes of the changing seasons was more harsh than pleasant, where despite the warmer temperatures, the wind still chilled you to your bones. Hinata hadn’t left Karasuno all day except to take a few walks around the property with Sugawara during their self-imposed breaks. Besides those few short moments of peace, they’d been locked in Suga’s office all during the day. The sports camp which took place at Karasuno during the weekdays were going on, and there was nowhere else for them to move to that would be more efficient. So, they were trapped inside of the musty, windowless makeshift office.</p><p>	When the camp was finally over, Hinata had busted out of the office as if the doors were the gates to heaven. He let out a sharp breath, panting as if he’d been holding his breath for the past two days. </p><p>	“My concept of time is destroyed,” Sugawara groaned with a yawn. Being trapped in that cinderblock hell had deprived the pair of daylight, meaning time was an indiscernible force.</p><p>	“You’re telling me,” Hinata agreed, stretching out his shoulders as if he’d not moved in days. Oh wait, he hadn’t.</p><p>	The only way Hinata had been able to keep track of the days were his nightly drives with Kageyama. Sugawara often drove him in the mornings, which was a nice sentiment given that he lived outside the city as well. Hinata really liked Sugawara’s company. Getting to know the older man was fun, as Suga often surprised him with how outgoing and wild he could be at times. Still, it was never the same as being with Kageyama. He looked forward to his rides home with Kageyama, as if they were a reward for enduring the long days at Karasuno. </p><p>	Still, Hinata was plagued by the memory of that one night with Kageyama. They’d never discussed it since, never initiated anything beyond it. Kageyama was back to being his snarky self, and Hinata never felt like dampening the mood by bringing up what very well could have been a one-off instance. Hinata often wondered if Kageyama was expecting him to bring it up, but he never did. He supposed things would play out as they should. Maybe one day he’d feel comfortable enough to bring it up.</p><p>	Other crows were beginning to trickle in as the sun set steadily. They all appeared to be as anxious as Hinata felt; God, his stomach was starting to act up again. Hinata felt weird being at the forefront of such an important job. After all, this whole thing was happening because of him, and now it hinged on him too. The crows were depending on him, on his performance, on his wit and skill. It was a rush unlike anything he could have gotten from a simple con on his own, and that made it all the more frightening. </p><p>	Once the gym was filled by the crows, it really hit Hinata that there was no other option but to go forward, than to persevere and do what needed to be done. He stood a little straighter, held his head high to the sky, and allowed himself to bask in the power that he had. It was empowering, and he had to focus on that feeling in order to keep moving forward.</p><p>	“This is our turning point,” Daichi announced to the group. The crows turned their heads towards the front of the room, where Daichi and Suga stood. “This is where we earn what we deserve.” Daichi’s encouraging words resonated heavily with the group, who seemed to beam at the prospect of becoming the powerful group they’d always dreamed of being. </p><p>	“We know a lot of you are unhappy with the secrecy of the operation, and I sincerely apologize for having to be so secretive about the whole thing. But now, as we officially are setting out to complete this job, I see no reservations in explaining the context of the situation. However, there will not be room for any comments as we need to leave in just a few moments.” Sugawara looked to Daichi for approval, though it was clear he’d already had it. Hinata hadn’t known that Suga was going to be so upfront about the whole thing, and he suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious. None of the crows explicitly knew that this whole situation was his fault, they had blindly put their faith in him. </p><p>	“Daichi and I know about this, but I was personally there and made the connection,” Suga admitted. This didn’t come as much of a shock to the crowd, who had assumed that their two leaders knew the details. “I wasn’t alone when I made the connection, though. Kageyama was with me that night, and helped me reach our inevitable conclusion.” Heads turned to Kageyama, who blushed furiously. Hinata smirked to himself at Kageyama’s shyness; it was such a stark change from his usual standoffish demeanor.</p><p>	“The two of us were out following Hinata,” Hinata blushed furiously at the turn of heads, “who had become closer with a perfect stranger, going by the name of Kozume Kenma. Though, Kageyama deduced that his real name is Satoru Inei, and he is likely a member of Nekoma. Tsukishima has helped us come up with our plan, as one of our top strategists.</p><p>	“However, we can’t do the job with just the five of us. It simply isn’t possible. We need all of you, one way or another, to help us complete the mission tonight. We’ve assigned roles to each of you, and we ask that you do everything in your power to ensure the success of the group. If you aren’t up for that kind of challenge, the door is behind you- but it will never open for you again.” The threat in Suga’s words was clear, a challenge for those who were too cowardly to continue on. Hinata was prideful to see the rest of his teammates, set in firm determination to continue on, despite the potentially harsh consequences.</p><p>	“We don’t truly know what we’re up against. We don’t know what the proper conduct is in a situation like this. We don’t know what we could have to deal with if things go south,” Daichi said, dampening the bold mood. “Anything could happen, and we have to be ready for it, no matter what. Is that something we can get behind?” The question was rhetorical. Everyone needed to be in agreement with this, and to Hinata’s delight, they all were.</p><p>	“Kageyama will be dropping Hinata off at the meeting location. We have reserved a room at a gaming cafe, which Yamaguchi and Tsukishima have thoroughly bugged. They will be in a van with Sugawara, monitoring the situation, giving us the signals to advance or retreat. Kageyama, Asahi and I will act as bodyguards, keeping watch on the physical situation, ready to take action should it arise. Nishinoya and Tanaka will be drivers and in charge of our weaponry. Kiyoko and Ennoshita are our medical assistants as always. Yachi, you will be on stand-by as needed.” Hinata looked over to Yachi, making sure she wasn’t particularly irritated with her role. Hinata couldn’t imagine being “stand-by” on such an important job, especially when the rookie had the most pivotal role. Still, that smile remained tight on her face, a sharp nod following suit. Hinata didn’t miss Yamaguchi squeezing her hand, though, likely as a sign of strength, urging her on.</p><p>	“The idea is that things will go as planned and we won’t need much help from the rest of you. Ideally, this will be a smooth run, no complications. Of course, we can’t ask for that kind of luck. It isn’t reasonable. You’ll each have a mic pack and receiver,” Suga said, waving said equipment around in the air. “Only use in emergencies. Do as much communication as possible face to face.”</p><p>	That was that. No more encouraging words, nor discouraging sentiments. No rallying cry, no hesitation, no enthusiasm. The crows were to go on their way, treating this as a job and no more. They couldn’t do that, though, not with the raw determinism and will in the air. The final preparations were made, setting up the remaining tech and cars, the groups getting together, ready to take on whatever lay ahead of them.</p><p>	“Hinata,” Yamaguchi called out, making his way through the crowd to Hinata. “You got this, okay?”</p><p>	Hinata was taken off guard by Yamaguchi’s words. He hadn’t expected anyone to confront him about his role, whether for good or bad. He was startled too much for words, managing a lackluster nod in its place.</p><p>	“It’s just… I remember my first major job. If it weren’t for Tsukki cheering me on, I’m not sure I would have been as successful as I was.” Yamaguchi beamed as he recounted the memory, but Hinata just balked.</p><p>	“Tsukishima… encouraging?” Hinata couldn’t possibly imagine a world where Tsukishima was anything less than snarky.</p><p>	“I know he seems really standoffish, but he’s a really good friend when you get to know him. Anyway, I just want you to know that I’m rooting for you. We all are.” Yamaguchi smiled and waved jovially as he walked away towards Yachi. Hinata’s chest swelled, a warm, yet heavy feeling settling deep in his bones. He needed to succeed, more than he’d ever needed to do something before. If not for himself, for those like Yamaguchi who were depending on him, who were on his side- who believed he could do it.</p><p>	Once everything was in order, Daichi gave the go-ahead to the group, signalling that it was time to move to the location of the job. Hinata nervously climbed into Kageyama’s car. His heart was pounding in his chest, his fingers shaking and cold. His mouth was dry and eyes wide. It was as if all of the previous anxiety attacks were only a teaser of what was to come. Kageyama got in the car, wordlessly beginning their drive towards the cafe.</p><p>	The low purr of the car combined with Kageyama’s neutral silence slowed the pace of Hinata’s thoughts, though only slightly. He was still racked with nerves, overwhelmed with anticipation. He focused on his breathing, on the purr and glide of the car, and of Kageyama’s presence behind him. </p><p>	“Do you want my honest opinion?” Kageyama’s question startled Hinata’s calmness, but didn’t add to the anxiety. It was a different kind of anxious that Kageyama made him, after all.</p><p>	“About what?”</p><p>	“I don’t think we should be doing this.” Kageyama’s admittance shocked Hinata, who had been under the assumption that Kageyama was in favor of getting the job done. His eyes widened as he looked at Kageyama, who didn’t spare a glance back at him.</p><p>	“What?”</p><p>	“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Kageyama repeated. “There’s more risk than payoff. I don’t think you should have pushed to do this.”</p><p>	“I- I don’t understand…” Hinata’s heart picked up it’s speed as his mind raced. Was this really the wrong thing to do? Did everyone else feel this way? Was Hinata propelling them into their own demise?</p><p>	“If this goes south, all of those determined resolves will turn on you. Each and every one of these crows will harbor the deepest resentment against you. We’ve never gone after someone who we weren’t absolutely positive was affiliated. If you’re wrong about this, it’s over for all of us, but it’s over for you too.”</p><p>	“So what, you think I should have called it off when I had the chance?” Hinata couldn’t believe that this conversation was happening on their way to the job and not when they’d decided to do this in the first place. Who the hell was Kageyama to throw this snag in their plan? If he was so nervous, why hadn’t he said something earlier?</p><p>	“I don’t know,” Kageyama admitted. “I think Kenma is sketchy. No, I know Kenma is sketchy. But I don’t think there’s enough to say that he’s dangerous or threatening. We didn’t get anything out of him at the bar, and everything we think we have on him is nothing more than speculation.”</p><p>	“Y-You were advocating for this!” Hinata exclaimed, his voice getting higher in pitch the more aggravated he became. “You thought that it was enough! That’d we’d be stupid not to take this chance!”</p><p>	“I never said that, I said we would never get more than what we have. If he’s Nekoma, then he’s never going to give up any more information than he already has. Besides, I never even said he was Nekoma, I said he was Satoru Inei.”</p><p>	Hinata was fuming, boiling with a rage unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. He couldn’t believe that after everything, Kageyama doubted him again. Hinata was going to explode with emotion, the anxiety of potentially sending the crows to their downfall and the anger of being accused of it all. What the hell was he supposed to do now?</p><p>	“I made my decision, Kageyama,” Hinata said, willing his voice to stay level. He almost sounded like he was growling, which surprised him more than it surprised Kageyama. “I’m going through with this plan and so are the others. If you want out, be my guest. I didn’t make this choice for fun, and I’d rather have not made it at all.”</p><p>	“I’m not leaving you or the others high and dry,” Kageyama said. “I made my decision too, and it’s one I’m never going back on.” Hinata wasn’t sure exactly what Kageyama meant by that, but he didn’t feel like asking. He didn’t feel like pressing Kageyama, instigating yet another argument. Hinata was drained, as if he was just a hollow vessel. He really needed a nap.</p><p>	They arrived at the location earlier than expected, giving them extra time to set themselves up and prepare. For Hinata, that meant an impromptu trip to the bathroom. He apologized silently to whatever unfortunate being would be in there at the same time as him, but he couldn’t pass up this golden opportunity. Luckily for him, and that very unfortunate being, the bathroom was completely empty. Hinata took the opportunity to completely crumble.</p><p>	He gripped the sink with white knuckles, struggling to take breaths that weren’t shallow. His head was fuzzy and he felt like his stomach was in his throat, and his heart in his ass. He turned on the water, willing it to be colder than ice as he used his shaking hands to splash his face. He could barely hear the water running above the sound of his own breathing, the rapid pounding of his heart. He was suffocating, even in a world full of oxygen. </p><p>	The door swung open, and Hinata willed himself to stand up straighter, grabbing some paper towels to wipe his face dry. Luckily for him, the intruder was Sugawara, whose gentle smile looked at Hinata with pity.</p><p>	“Lots of pressure, huh?” Suga said with a smile. Hinata weakly smiled back, chuckling at the comment.</p><p>	“That’s putting it lightly.”</p><p>	“Can I be honest with you?”</p><p>	“Yikes, I don’t know if I’m ready to hear what you’ve got to say,” Hinata said sarcastically, thinking back to his earlier conversation with Kageyama.</p><p>	“I think you need to hear it, though,” Sugawara said, leaning on a stall. Hinata met his warm eyes through the mirror, hands still gripping the sink, bracing himself for the impact of Sugawara’s next words.</p><p>	“You know how to handle this better than anyone.” Hinata’s brow furrowed, his jaw hanging slack with confusion. He had no idea what to say. “I can’t explain it, but for a group of cons, I’ve never seen a master manipulator like you. I’ve never seen someone be able to so easily draw others in. No one else would be able to do what you do. No one else is as capable as you.”</p><p>	“Sugawara, I-I don’t even-”</p><p> </p><p>	“It doesn’t matter that you lack formal experience or training. It doesn’t matter that you’ve never had your own job. Hell, it doesn’t even matter that this job is the single most important of any we’ve ever had. There’s no one else that I would have faith in to do this.”</p><p>	“Why? I don’t understand. I’m barely holding myself together right now,” Hinata said, nodding to his current state. “Trust me, I’d like to think that I’m hot shit, that I’m the best man for the job. I don’t know anymore. What if this was the wrong choice? What if I made the wrong choice, Suga? Then will you still feel this way? Will you still have that faith in me? I don’t think the others could say they would.” Hinata hated inviting Sugawara into his own pity party, but he felt like complete and utter shit. He never wanted this, any part of it.</p><p>	“If I thought you made the wrong choice, I never would have let it come this far.”</p><p>	“But you left it up to me. If you were certain that this was the right path, why didn’t you choose it yourself?”</p><p>	“I’m not certain this is the right choice. I just know that it isn’t the wrong one.”</p><p>			-------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>	Kozume Kenma was intrigued each and every time Shoyo Hinata asked him to go out. He wasn’t one for ‘going out’ and much less one for socializing. However, there was something about the ginger fireball that kept him coming back. He hadn’t expected a relationship to blossom after their first encounter in the arcade, but he also didn’t mind that it had. It was a serendipitous surprise, and he wasn’t averse to it’s continuation.</p><p>	Hinata was a considerate guy, after all, perceptively noticing Kenma’s preferences and incorporating them into their nights, whether it be by renting a room like tonight, or going somewhere that Kenma would feel comfortable. He appreciated that about Hinata. Perhaps that was why he could never deny Hinata, why he always ended up going out even despite his internal pleas to stay in and stay in his comfort zone.</p><p>	Hinata challenged him, and for whatever reason, Kenma was up for it.</p><p>	Kenma arrived at the gaming cafe right on the dot at 9pm. He hated being late, but even more so he hated being early. There was no need to put himself in a less than ideal situation for longer than he needed to. As always, Hinata was standing in the entry awaiting his arrival. He looked ever so slightly agitated, but upon seeing Kenma, a wide, bright smile donned on his face. </p><p>	“Hey, Kenma!” He called out, waving crazily at the taller man.</p><p>	“Hi, Hinata,” Kenma greeted back.</p><p>	“Our room is back here,” Hinata said, grabbing Kenma around the wrist and dragging him towards their rented room. Kenma couldn’t help but notice that Hinata’s hands were clammy, which grossed him out slightly. He hated physical contact.</p><p>	“Are you okay, Hinata?” Kenma asked as Hinata closed the door behind them. Hinata looked up at Kenma with startled eyes, quickly recovering with that same sunny smile from earlier.</p><p>	“Oh, yeah, sorry about that. Rough day at the cafe, I’m still sort of frazzled.” Hinata brushed off his exasperation with a blasé chuckle and a wave of his hand. Kenma wasn’t buying it, but he also didn’t feel like psychoanalyzing his friend- especially when there was an entire range of gaming right in front of him.</p><p>	“Nothing’s worse than work troubles,” Kenma nodded in agreement, setting up a console and controllers for the pair.</p><p>	“No kidding.”</p><p>	The first game was a racer, simple and easy, yet sparking the competition from their last meeting at the arcade. Hinata laughed as Kenma poked fun at him, reminding him of his epic failure to beat the king.</p><p>	“It’s not my fault I got a work call!” Hinata exclaimed, pouting. Kenma just laughed, fully aware that he likely would have lost to Hinata had things continued on in his favor. He wouldn’t let it happen this time, though. He just wouldn’t.</p><p>	Kenma’s competitive instincts kicked in almost immediately, but he refused to let the heat of the moment influence his actions. Hinata was clearly worked up over whatever had happened at work earlier, meaning that he would already be frazzled going into the game. If Kenma could keep a level head, he’d surely win the game no problem.</p><p>	“If I win, drinks are on you,” Hinata teased, waggling his controller at Kenma.</p><p>	“And vice versa,” Kenma smirked. Now it was really on.</p><p>	Their cars battled for the lead, chasing after each other in a high speed game play. Kenma leaned forward instinctively, shifting his weight in the direction he wanted his car to go as if that would help him at all. Hinata was furiously pounding at the keys on the controller, urging them to propel him past Kenma, who was well in the lead.</p><p>	It was futile, though, as Kenma crossed the finish line almost a full lap in front of Hinata. He placed his controller down smugly, hanging his arms around the sides of the chairs as if he’d just finished light work. “Drinks, you said?”</p><p>Hinata sighed, throwing his head back in despair. “As you wish, milady.”</p><p>Kenma watched as Hinata got up and left the room in search of the bar. He and Hinata had gone drinking enough times at this point that he was sure Hinata would remember his regular order. It was really endearing how easily he and Hinata had become friends.</p><p>Something was weird about it all.</p><p>Hinata returned moments later, looking frazzled and out of place. Of course, in his hand were two drinks, one for Kenma, and one for Hinata. As Kenma would have predicted, it was his usual order. Perceptive as always, that Hinata was. Hinata plopped down in his seat with a heavy sigh.</p><p>“Really, Hinata, are you alright? If you’re tired we can just call it a night, that’s okay,” Kenma suggested, honestly not minding that outcome much himself.</p><p>“NO! I mean, no, I’m okay. Really.” Hinata flashed a forced grin his way, setting the glasses on the table. </p><p>“You seem… anxious,” Kenma offered. He didn’t feel like doing emotional labor, but hey, he wasn’t such a bad friend that he’d ignore his friend’s blatant suffering.</p><p>“Ah, maybe just a little,” Hinata giggled, wiping his forehead with his hand. “God, is it hot in here?”</p><p>“Are you sick?” Kenma prayed to god that he wasn’t sick. He wasn’t a germophobe, but for fuck’s sake, people could be really gross sometimes.</p><p>“No, no, I think I’m just overthinking too much. Work and all. You know how it is,” Hinata said, waving off Kenma’s suggestion. “I just need a drink.”</p><p>Hinata reached out for a glass, smiling wide at Kenma. He clearly wasn’t paying any attention, as he picked up Kenma’s glass and not his own, taking a long, hearty gulp in one shot. Kenma watched in slow motion as Hinata’s face scrunched tightly, puckering from the bitterness of the liquor. Hinata was one for the sweet, fruity stuff.</p><p>“Whew! How do you drink that stuff,” Hinata said in between coughs.</p><p>“Hinata, I think you need to go home,” Kenma said, taking the glass from Hinata’s hands.</p><p>“Fuck. That was your drink.” Hinata’s eyes widened infinitely, staring down at the glass he’d just downed. “Fuck, fuck, fuck…”</p><p>“Hinata, it’s okay. I didn’t need one that badly anyway.” Hinata looked up into Kenma’s eyes with more despair than Kenma had ever seen in his life. It was as if he’d just witnessed death, the terror that fled those eyes.</p><p>“Good… good… Kenma, do you mind if I take a nap right now? Fuck, I’m so tired I could just… fall asleep right here…” Kenma watched with confusion as Hinata really did pass out right then and there. Hinata’s eyes fluttered shut lazily, a single tear slipping out from his eye. His body lay limp on the chair, calmer than it had likely been all day. </p><p>What the fuck was Kenma supposed to do now? Take him home? He had zero idea where Hinata lived! Was he supposed to wait here with him until he woke up? What if that wasn’t for hours? Kenma couldn’t wait here for hours like that. He could always take Hinata to his place… No. No, that wasn’t a possibility. He had no other choice than to-</p><p>Kenma glanced up with a start as the door to their room busted open without warning. Three men, much bigger than he, and much more armed, invaded the room, all pointing small pistols right at his head.</p><p>For fuck’s sake, could Hinata really not have picked a better time to pass out? </p><p>“Get Hinata out of here. Take him to Kiyoko, now,” the one directly in front said. The man to his left, with raven hair nodded starkly, scooping the ginger into his arms and exiting the room without taking his eyes off of Kenma. He’d seen that man before, he’d seen those gunmetal gray eyes. Yes, that day at the arcade, when he and Hinata had first met. What was his name, why couldn’t Kenma remember?</p><p>What was going on, and why was Hinata involved?</p><p>“Just so you know, this wasn’t how we planned for things to go down,” the man in the middle said with a chuckle. His aim never wavered, though. “Ideally, there would have been no bombardment and intrusion. Sorry if we disturbed you.”</p><p>“Who are you, and why do you have guns to my head?” Kenma asked, making his voice as level as possible. The last thing he intended to do was aggravate the men with fingers on the trigger.</p><p>“We’ll get to that eventually, don’t worry,” the man said. “First, I think it’s only fair that you tell us your business with Hinata.”</p><p>“I’m his friend,” Kenma deadpanned. “We’re friends. Out for drinks and gaming. You know, like grown men do.” The sardonic tone earned a chuckle from the man.</p><p>“Friends don’t lie to friends, do they Satoru?” Kenma felt his eyes widen slightly, despite his greatest efforts to remain neutral. How did they know? How did they figure it out?</p><p>“Apparently friends do lie to friends. That is, if Hinata really is a part of whatever is going on here. What is going on here? A robbery? Do you want money?”</p><p>“If you insist, I think some money would be nice,” the man teased. “But if that’s all we wanted, we’d be much more tactical than holding you at gunpoint in a gaming cafe for it, I promise.”</p><p>Kenma cocked his head. He officially had no clue what was happening here. He was out of theories, out of explanations to whatever was happening now.</p><p>“Asahi, cuff him,” the man directed. “And if you move,” he said, nodding at Kenma, “I pull the trigger, no hesitation.” Kenma wasn’t buying it, but he knew he couldn’t possibly win a fight against these guys, nor did he feel like picking a fight in this setting. At the very least, he’d wait until he could get someone else to do it for him.</p><p>“Again, apologies for the brute nature of this encounter. Things were supposed to be much less confrontational than this, but our little Hinata is kinda new to this scene.”</p><p>“What scene?” Kenma asked, feeling the cold metal slip gingerly around his wrists.</p><p>“Organized crime.”</p><p>Kozume Kenma knew a lot of things, had done a lot of things, and had met a lot of people. Somehow, for all of the experience he had, though, he never would have bet on something like this happening. As he was led out of the room by Asahi and the other man, Kenma couldn’t help but smile to himself as he pondered the wonder that was this entire encounter.</p><p>He’d met Hinata by luck. Remained friends with him through nothing but curiosity. Somehow, some way, he’d never pinned Hinata as someone who’d be involved in that type of thing. Hell, he never even thought twice about Hinata’s friend, the one with the raven hair. Kenma had totally let his guard down, refusing to be skeptical about Hinata. Inspired by curiosity and curiosity alone, a relationship sparked between them.</p><p>Kenma admired Hinata for coming this far. For figuring out his secret, for acting on it, and for successfully capturing him. He easily could have escaped, too; Kenma never went out without protection, or an emergency transmitter. He could have used both just moments ago, but he didn’t. When it came to Hinata, Kenma lacked his usual critical thinking, relying on that curiosity to make his decisions.</p><p>So he let Hinata capture him, placing Nekoma into an unprepared, unsteady situation. But all because of curiosity, he did it without a fight, without question- he did it happily.</p><p> </p><p>	If curiosity kills the cat, Kenma was more than willing to die at the hands of Shoyo Hinata.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>ARGJHGJS I AM SO SORRY THIS CHAPTER TOOK SO LONG!!!! My family went on a very spontaneous vacation and I had no time to write :(( I'm home now, and ready to pump out the next batch of chapters (which are easily going to be my favorite of all time ever). I hope you enjoy this chapter!!! Thank you for reading :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. World's Worst Homecoming</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>At first he’d felt bad about being so honest with Hinata, but after watching the disaster that had just occurred, Tobio Kageyama felt no remorse for telling the truth.</p><p>	Things had started off just fine. Everyone had manned their positions, ready to go forward with the plan. Daichi, Asahi, and Kageyama were all standing in the lobby of the gaming cafe, making sure to hide their profiles as much as possible. Hinata stood only feet away in the entry where he would wait for Kenma to arrive. The others had all confirmed their positions using the receivers they’d been given. Everything was going just fine.</p><p>	Kageyama thought he saw Hinata getting squirmy. He couldn’t stand still, couldn’t exist nonchalantly. Kageyama willed Hinata to take a deep breath and act normal, but Hinata wouldn’t. He was so completely in his head, and it was painfully obvious.</p><p>	“You think he’s got this?” Asahi asked, nodding slightly towards Hinata.</p><p>	“I don’t know,” Kageyama answered honestly. “But I do think he’s crazy enough to give it everything.”</p><p>	And Kageyama really believed that. He believed wholeheartedly that Hinata would go through with it all regardless of his own fears or reservations. He’d made it quite clear to Kageyama just how important this was to him, because it was important to the crows. He was placing their interests above his own. A dumbass thing to do, but it was just like Hinata. So, even if he stumbled and didn’t succeed with grace, somehow he’d succeed. </p><p>	That was assuming they had the right target in the first place.</p><p>	Kenma arrived shortly after, Hinata leading him towards their rented room. Hinata made no acknowledgement of the crows as they passed, and the crows made no acknowledgement of him in return. It was as if strangers were passing each other. After a few moments, Daichi flagged them onwards, tracking Hinata’s past movements into the hall where the rented rooms were. Only one door was open, and was closing as the crows approached. Kageyama could distantly hear Hinata’s sunny voice coming from the sliver in the open door, gone just as fast as it had arrived.</p><p>	It must have been quite the odd scene, Kageyama thought, to see three grown men stalking the outside of a room in a gaming cafe. They looked severely out of place, and felt severely out of place too. If anyone saw them like this, they’d surely look suspicious. Still, it was late enough on a work night for there to be few crowds to see them. They were lucky enough to have blended in decently in the front, but they had no chance of that now.</p><p>	“All’s good on our end,” Suga said, confirming the position of those in the control room.</p><p>	“We’re good here,” Kiyoko said, radioing back to the group from where she and Ennoshita were stationed..</p><p>	“On site,” Daichi confirmed back.</p><p>	“Adding the channel,” Suga alerted them. In seconds, Hinata’s receiver was connected to the group’s and the conversation from inside the room could be heard by each of the crows. Kageyama closed his eyes as he listened to Hinata’s chipper voice echoing in his mind. </p><p>	Everything sounded like it was going quite smoothly. Hinata had distracted Kenma by engaging in what sounded like a racing game, making him comfortable enough to open up fully. Kageyama focused on his breathing, trying not to worry too much about all that could go wrong. Daichi and Asahi were much less stiff, talking between themselves casually. It was probably a smart thing to do, given if anyone saw them, they would just look like casual friends. Kageyama couldn’t bring himself to participate in their conversation, though. He was much too focused on Hinata’s teasing voice through the receiver.</p><p>	Kageyama wished more than anything he’d just muster up the guts to tell Hinata every thought that went through his head. Admittedly, there were a lot of stupid, needless thoughts, but there were a lot of important ones too. A lot of earth-shattering, life-ending, heart-wrenching thoughts. How was it that he could be so honest about Hinata’s weaknesses, but not about his own? When the one thing he wanted to articulate was beyond words, he found himself suffocating with the ineffable emotions that consumed him. Listening to Hinata’s voice and wishing that it was directed to him, Kageyama thought those annoying, soul-crushing thoughts.</p><p>	“Drinks, you said?” Kageyama heard Kenma’s teasing tone through Hinata’s microphone.</p><p>	“As you wish, milady,” Hinata responded. Kageyama heard rustling through the receiver, signaling Hinata to be on the move. Kageyama snapped at Daichi and Asahi, not taking his eyes off the door. They stopped their conversation, turning to the door of the room, where Hinata was pushing out of less than gracefully. He shut the door behind him, walked a few paces from the room, and slouched against the wall with a grunt.</p><p>	“Sounds like everything’s going well,” Kageyama said, wanting to give even the slightest amount of encouragement. It wasn’t much, but there wasn’t much to say. Especially after their quarrel in the car.</p><p>	“I feel like death,” Hinata admitted, hanging his head toward the ground. His arms braced on his knees, eyes shut. “I’m barely holding it together. He knows there’s something up.”</p><p>	“Why are you so nervous?” Daichi asked. </p><p>	“That’s a stupid question,” Hinata huffed. It really was a stupid question, to be fair. “If I screw something up and he actually is Nekoma, I blow this whole thing for us. If he isn’t Nekoma, we’re all fucked. Royally, entirely fucked. How am I supposed to be calm right now?”</p><p>	“We’re here to make sure that won’t happen,” Daichi said sternly. “Don’t think we won’t take action if you can’t.” Hinata looked up, worry brimming in his eyes.</p><p>	“We’re all on the same team here,” Asahi said softly. “We’re rooting for you.” Hinata smiled hesitantly at Asahi’s encouraging words. Hinata glanced at Kageyama, as if expecting him to say something too.</p><p>	“He’s waiting,” was all Kageyama could muster, but it worked in getting Hinata to peel himself off the wall and get back to the job.</p><p>	“Thank you,” Hinata said, turning away from the group to head to the front of the building. Kageyama was sure he was addressing the group with his thanks, but deep down, he wanted to pretend as if it was all for him.</p><p>	Hinata returned shortly with two drinks in his hand, looking uneasy as ever. “What if he gets suspicious? What if he’s trying to get us just as bad as we’re trying to get him?” Kageyama noticed that Hinata’s hands were shaking, the liquor in the glasses trembling as Hinata did.</p><p>	“You gotta stop thinking about it,” Kageyama growled. “Did you lace it?” he asked, referring to Kenma’s drink.</p><p>	“Not yet,” Hinata admitted. Asahi took a pill out of his pocket, handing it to Kageyama. </p><p>	“This is a sleep-inducing pill. Should knock him out long enough for us to get him secured and at Karasuno before he wakes up.” Kageyama nodded, carefully breaking the shell of the pill. Hinata held out Kenma’s drink as Kageyama carefully poured the powder into the drink. Hinata swirled it around in the glass, mixing the contents together.</p><p>	“Do you think this will be enough?” Hinata asked wearily.</p><p>	“We’ve done this enough times to know it’s a powerful drug,” Daichi said. “Besides, a higher dosage could potentially be lethal. We don’t need to kill our only lead.” Hinata nodded sharply.</p><p>	“You need to get in there before he gets suspicious,” Kageyama said, lightly pushing Hinata towards the room.</p><p>	“What if he-”</p><p>	“We’re all here to make sure nothing happens,” Daichi said. “Now, go.”</p><p>	Without another protest, Hinata turned and opened the door to the room, plastering a smile on his face. Though, even Kageyama could tell just how fake that smile was. It was so uneasy, so uncertain, and there was no way that Kenma wouldn’t notice it as well.</p><p>	“We need to be on guard,” Kageyama muttered, drawing the attention of the other two crows.</p><p>	“What do you mean?” Asahi asked hesitantly.</p><p>	“I mean, I don’t think Hinata’s going to be able to get out of this without straining his relationship with Kenma.”</p><p>	“Well, duh, he’s getting ready to drug him right now,” Daichi snarled.</p><p>	“No, I mean I don’t think he’s going to be able to get the job done. I’m saying that Kenma is likely already suspicious and it’s not going to get any easier in there. I don’t think the job is going to go as planned.” Daichi and Asahi looked at Kageyama with looks of complete disdain on their faces. They knew that much as well, but they wanted to ignore the consequences of what would soon happen.</p><p>	“No, no, I think I’m just overthinking too much. Work and all. You know how it is.” Kageyama listened intently to the conversation between Hinata and Kenma. Hinata’s voice was quivering as he spoke to Kenma. “I just need a drink.” Kageyama’s muscles grew taut. This was potentially the moment that would send everything over the edge. If Hinata took a drink, it was entirely possible that Kenma would too, and the whole thing could be over right in that moment. </p><p>	“Whew! How do you drink that stuff,” Hinata said, coughing in between words. </p><p>	“Daichi, be ready to take action,” Sugawara said, his voice ringing through the crows’ ears.</p><p>	“What, Suga what do you mean?” Daichi asked nervously. It hit Kageyama right then what had just happened. </p><p>	“He drank from Kenma’s glass.” </p><p>	Sure enough, only seconds later they could hear Hinata’s realization of what he’d just done. “Fuck. That was your drink. Fuck, fuck, fuck… I’m so tired I could just… fall asleep right here…” They listened with horror as they heard rustling in Hinata’s mic, likely the sound of him passing out and falling onto whatever was closest to him.</p><p>	“He’s out cold,” Sugawara said, confirming that Hinata had truly sipped the wrong drink.</p><p>	“Raise your weapons and follow my lead,” Daichi growled, pulling his pistol from his holster. The other two crows followed suit. Daichi opened the door roughly, charging in with no hesitation, Asahi and Kageyama on his trail. They all held their guns pointed at Kenma. Kageyama’s eyes wandered, finding where Hinata lay unconscious only feet away from Kenma.</p><p>	“Get Hinata out of here. Take him to Kiyoko, now,” Daichi said. Kageyama wasted no time collecting Hinata in his arms, making sure to never remove his gaze from Kenma’s, who looked back at him with the same pointed stare. Kageyama wasn’t sure what happened in the room after he left, but he couldn’t say that he cared all that much. His priority was getting Hinata to Kiyoko and making sure that Kenma couldn’t get to him.</p><p>	Though, if Kenma was any type of dangerous, he likely would have had a weapon to point right back at the crows. He hadn’t even made a move to hurt Hinata while he was passed out. Worry began to infiltrate Kageyama’s mind. Had they really gotten the wrong guy? Was everything up to this point truly a coincidence? </p><p>	No, that couldn’t have been the case. Everything lined up perfectly. It all made sense. Kenma’s calmness in the situation too also helped to prove that. So what if he didn’t have a weapon on him, he was so calm and collected about the situation that it was easy to assume that he’d had experience in situations like that before. It was clear that Kenma was familiar with this type of thing, and that made him all the more suspicious. Even still, he hadn’t moved to hurt Hinata. Assuming he was Nekoma, at the very least, they could assume for the time being that he wasn’t a direct threat.</p><p>	Kiyoko and Ennoshita were stationed in a van separate from the control room. Kageyama had been in such a rush to get Hinata out of Kenma’s reach that he’d forgotten to radio the two and alert them, but they were so proactive about the situation that they must have assumed the two would be headed their way. Kiyoko opened the door to the van before Kageyama was even close enough to knock.</p><p>	“Turns out we get to make ourselves useful today, eh?” she joked, holding the door as Kageyama carried a limp Hinata inside.</p><p>	“We’re just lucky we were able to get him out soon,” Kageyama said, nodding to Hinata’s paralyzed form. “Any word on the others?”</p><p>	“Not yet,” Ennoshita said solemnly. “But I don’t think we need to worry. Those two can hold their own.”</p><p>	“Asahi told us he was planning to lace the drink with a sleeping agent, right?” Kiyoko asked. Kageyama nodded.</p><p>	“I’m not entirely sure what the name was specifically, but he said it’s the usual.” Kiyoko peeled open Hinata’s eyes, took his pulse on his neck, and lay him down comfortably on a seat.</p><p>	“His pulse isn’t strong, but that's typical after taking this type of drug. I’m not too worried about him right now, but you’re gonna have to keep an eye on him as we drive,” Kiyoko said.</p><p>	“Do you think it could get worse?”</p><p>	“Not likely. Not impossible, but not likely. This isn’t Hinata’s first time being drugged with this either, it’s what you gave him when you kidnapped him.” Ah, that. This must have been the same drug that Kageyama injected into him that night.</p><p>	“If that’s the case, he’ll get it out of his system quickly,” Kageyama said, remembering how quickly Hinata had woken up.</p><p>	“We got him.” Those three powerful words rang in the ears of each of the crows, and Kageyama felt his chest tighten. Daichi’s confirmation was more than he could ever ask for at that moment. They’d gotten Kenma, and the hard part was over.</p><p>	“On your call,” Ennoshita said, radioing back to where Daichi was likely with Sugawara in the other van.</p><p>	Kageyama couldn’t believe how fast and easy that had been. Had they honestly just cuffed him and led him away? Had Kenma really been so compliant with the whole situation? It was such an absurd to think, being captured against your own will by complete strangers. He genuinely struggled to make a valid excuse as to why anyone would do such a thing. Still, it wasn’t worth trying to figure out. It was a miracle that it happened, and they now needed to focus on the future of the plan.</p><p>	“Head to HQ,” Daichi announced. “Yachi, you’re on set up with Ukai and Takeda.”</p><p>	“Yes, sir,” Yachi confirmed.</p><p>	“Buckle up, ladies,” Nishinoya called from the front of their van. “We’re going for a spin.”</p><p>	And that was no joke, either. Nishinoya was a good driver, and he was responsible with a lot of their artillery, but he often got excited on big jobs like this. He would drive just a little faster, with just a little more aggression when carrying precious cargo. Although he didn’t have the star of the night in his car, he had Hinata, the one who’d managed despite all odds to make it this far anyway. Besides, the prospect of what awaited them upon arrival was enough to make him quite slap-happy.</p><p>	Kiyoko and Ennoshita mostly sat up by Nishinoya, begging him to calm down so they weren’t pulled over by traffic cops, which left Kageyama to deal with the still unconscious Hinata in the backseat. Kageyama couldn’t help but notice that his skin was slightly flushed, complimenting his fire orange hair. He looked so calm, so peaceful, especially compared to his pale, flustered state earlier in the night. Part of Kageyama was glad he was finally able to rest, but the other part of him thought Hinata was a complete idiot for getting to this point anyway. </p><p>	Kageyama knew Hinata enough to know that he was a total sweet-freak. He was always getting fruity drinks at bars and coming up with especially sugary concoctions at the cafe. It was a miracle that Hinata would willingly pick up a glass of whiskey, let alone get it down. He chuckled to himself, making a note to ask Suga for the footage of Hinata’s reaction to the bitter liquor. His face must have gotten all scrunched, contorting in reaction to the bite of the alcohol.</p><p>	How cute.</p><p>	Hinata’s head bumbled around on the seat, looking as if it would snap clean off of his neck with Nishinoya’s totally illegal driving. Reluctantly, Kageyama pulled Hinata up, laying him so that his head would rest comfortably in his lap. Kageyama was annoyed to feel himself blush at the contact, something that was totally uncalled for in the seriousness of the moment.</p><p>	For the rest of the drive, he tried to ignore the way that his hands ran through Hinata’s hair mindlessly.</p><p>	“I like when you do that,” a small voice grumbled near the end of the trip. Kageyama was startled out of his daze, looking down at where Hinata lay in his lap. Hinata’s sunny smile was beaming up at him softly, his eyes lidded with sleep as he gazed at Kageyama. “I like when you play with my hair.”</p><p>	Kageyama had never been so embarrassed in his life. “You’re a real idiot, you know that?” He said, turning his burning face away from the ginger. Hinata sat up off of his lap drearily, rubbing his eyes.</p><p>	“Is everything okay? With Kenma? Did I screw it up?” Hinata’s features were contorted with worry, his eyebrows furrowing and his lips curving into a frown. As much as Kageyama wanted to slander the stupidity of Hinata’s actions, he couldn’t bring himself to do it when faced with Hinata’s innocence. </p><p>	“Everything is okay. He’s in the other van with the others. We’re with the med team and Nishinoya.”</p><p>	“That explains why I’m so car sick,” Hinata grumbled, leaning on Kageyama’s shoulder for balance. Mindlessly, Kageyama’s hand found its way back onto Hinata’s head, lightly toying with the locks of orange hair.</p><p>	“That, and the fact that you were just heavily drugged.”</p><p>	“I’m sorry,” Hinata mumbled.</p><p>	“Why?”</p><p>	“I might not have screwed it all up, but I almost did. We got lucky.”</p><p>	“There’s always the possibility of a screw up, no matter what you do.” Kageyama once again found himself reassuring Hinata, even though every sane cell in his body was begging him to scold the smaller boy. “Sure, things could have gone bad. But they didn’t. They didn’t because we were all on your side. They didn’t because Kenma didn’t want you to get hurt.”</p><p>	“Did you hurt him?” Hinata asked.</p><p>	“Not that I know of,” Kageyama said honestly. “I know that he was cuffed, but there was no word on whether or not he was drugged or knocked out in any way. Personally, I think he went on his own will.”</p><p>	“Why would he do that?”</p><p>	“Because he cares about you.” Kageyama felt his heart pick up pace. He hated thinking about someone putting themselves in danger on Hinata’s behalf, especially if that person wasn’t him. He wanted to be the only person to make Hinata feel protected, to care about Hinata so deeply that only he could give himself away. He internally kicked himself for thinking so selfishly. If he was going to be so wimpy that he couldn’t even confess those feelings, then how could he justify being jealous? “He cares about you enough to do whatever won’t get you hurt. Even if those around you want to hurt him, he’ll do anything to keep you safe and hear you out.”</p><p>	“I hope he doesn’t hate me for this.”</p><p>	“I don’t think anyone could hate you.” Kageyama decided right then and there that if anyone ever hated Hinata, he would hate them back.</p><p>	They arrived at Karasuno shortly after Hinata had awoken. Helping him off the bus was a struggle. The hangover from the drugs was still strong, and his car-sickness from Nishinoya’s driving was no help. Hinata had barely taken a few steps from the van before he had to peel away from the group and hurl what little he’d eaten before they’d left. Kageyama might have sworn to protect Hinata, but he had a raging fear of vomit. It was a totally lame fear to have, but he decided it would be okay to leave the medical care to Kiyoko and Ennoshita as he walked away, trying to drown out the noise of sickness behind him.</p><p>	“Noya,” Kageyama called out, perhaps louder than needed. The smaller man turned around, beaming energetically at Kageyama.</p><p>	“Yama! Sup, dude? How’s Hinata?”</p><p>	“Sick, all thanks to your driving.”</p><p>	“Hey, my driving isn’t bad. There’s a reason I’m the designated driver,” Nishinoya teased, sticking his tongue out at Kageyama. No wonder those two got along; they were both incredibly immature.</p><p>	“You’re the driver because you’re good at street racing. This wasn’t a street race.”</p><p>	“Yeah, well, I wanted to get to HQ fast! Can you really blame me for that?”</p><p>	“Yes.” Nishinoya scoffed and Kageyama’s bluntness, but laughed it off with ease. Nishinoya wasn’t one to be easily insulted, and he knew Kageyama was just blowing off useless steam.</p><p>	The other van pulled up moments later just as Hinata was being led away by Kiyoko. She urged them inside quickly where Yachi, Ukai, and Takeda were all setting up.</p><p>	“They’re here,” Ennoshita announced as Kiyoko set Hinata down gingerly in seat towards the opposite end of the main stage. Yachi, for a girl that appeared to have no real talents within the group, was a master at spatial arts. It was as if she could picture exact situations in her head and knew exactly how to execute something, even with little detail. Daichi had told her to set up for their return, and that’s exactly what she’d done.</p><p>	She’d transformed the stage into an interrogation center. She had shut the paneled walls almost completely shut, leaving only a sliver of light in the dark stage. The stage itself was quite unkempt normally, if only because they didn’t often need to use it during the camp or their meetings. The sloppily discarded weaponry lay scattered along the walls, and the general grime of the room made for an intimidating atmosphere. Many groups, such as Dateko and Aoba Johsai had money, and lots of it. Infinitely more than the crows did. Their facilities were lavish and intimidating in a class way. The crows didn’t operate like that, though. At least, not yet. For now, they would stick with the dumpster-like conditions of their HQ, and they would use that to their advantage.</p><p>	“I hope it’s okay,” Yachi said, “I didn’t have a whole lot of time to get a vibe going.”</p><p>	“It’s fine,” Ennoshita said. “It’s very fitting for us, I think. He won’t have any clue as to where he is or who he’s dealing with. There’s nothing important in here to give something away.”</p><p>	“Hinata’s in here,” Kageyama grumbled.</p><p>	“He doesn’t know you’re with us, does he?” Kiyoko asked the still drowsy Hinata.</p><p>	“I mean, I guess it’s possible he could have tailed me one day, but I never told him anything or alluded to it. He wouldn’t make a move on us anyway, he’s all secretive and we would have no use to them.”</p><p>	“Everything good in there?” Daichi asked over the radio.</p><p>	“All’s good. Bring him in whenever,” Ennoshita confirmed. </p><p>	“I’ll go out with the others,” Kageyama offered, stepping out from the panels. “Yachi, help Ennoshita and Kiyoko watch over Hinata, please.”</p><p>	“Hey, I don’t need a babysitter,” Hinata grumbled.</p><p>	“You literally just hurled in the parking lot. You’re staying under their watch,” Kageyama argued back, stepping away before he began an argument he couldn't finish. He left the rest of the crows, making his way to the door of the gym that he suspected Daichi would knock on ceremoniously. He couldn’t help himself from sneaking a peek outside the door, cracking it open so he could get a glimpse of the action on the outside.</p><p>	Tsukishima and Yamaguchi exited the back of the van with Sugawara, who led them towards the doors of the gym. Sugawara nodded in greeting to Kageyama who stepped aside to let them pass. Due to their silence and stealth, it was likely that Kenma hadn't known they were in the van with him. They were likely heading back to Sugawara’s office to store the data from the bugs, but they wouldn’t miss the interrogation. </p><p>	Kageyama watched as Tanaka exited the driver’s side of the vehicle, winking at Kageyama’s peering face in the doorway. He made a show of waving his hands like a performer as Daichi and Asahi led the blindfolded and handcuffed Kenma from out of the van.</p><p>	Kenma looked surprisingly normal considering what had just happened to him. His face was stoic and he walked easily alongside the crows, not saying a word and not struggling against his restraints. Daichi looked at Kageyama with a knowing glance, proving his suspicions exactly. Kenma had been more than compliant throughout the entire situation</p><p>	Quickly and quietly, Kageyama shut the door. Only seconds had passed before the three rhythmic knocks hit the door. Kageyama waited a beat until he pulled open the door, allowing the final four crows to enter the building. Kageyama guided them to the paneled door of the stage. Yachi peeled the panels back to allow the group in, closing them together again afterwards. Kenma was seated in the Karasuno hot seat, facing against the light so he could witness the faces of the crows before him.</p><p>	Kenma sat in the chair as guided, where Asahi masterly tied ropes around his ankles, and Kageyama fastened his bound wrists to the back of the seat. The room was saturated with silence as everyone watched, the awkwardness of the situation was more than apparent. When the pair were done tying the man up, Daichi released the blindfold from his eyes. Kageyama looked at Hinata gauging his reaction. No surprise, Hinata’s face was brimming with worry as he looked at Kenma’s stoic face. Kageyama felt a surge of jealousy.</p><p>	“We’re sorry about the brutality of this,” Daichi said calmly. “We hadn’t intended to use those tactics, but we’re glad we didn’t have to use much force beyond that.”</p><p>	“Sure, glad I could be of service to you,” Kenma deadpanned. His cat-like eyes were glowing in the darkness, and despite his calm exterior, Kageyama would be lying if he said he wasn’t slightly unnerved by the predatory stare he was sending the crows.</p><p>	“To be honest, we hadn’t intended doing this to you at all. It was quite a lovely surprise when we came to the conclusion that you, Satoru Inei, are a member of Nekoma.” Kenma’s eyes lifted to meet Daichi’s darkened ones.</p><p>	“Who told you that was my name?”</p><p>	“Your company is partnered with mine,” Kageyama said, stepping out from the shadows. “You’re the CEO. Elusive, driven, and your identity has been almost entirely unknown to the public. Luckily for me, I work closely with my higher-ups and have access to that kind of information. I recognized you that night with Hinata and have been weary of you ever since.” Kageyama willed his voice to remain level, but he could hear the rage seeping into it as he spoke.</p><p>	“Where is Hinata? Is he okay?” Kenma sounded genuinely concerned, and nothing made Kageyama more red-hot-mad in his life.</p><p>	“He’s fine,” Kiyoko purred, stepping away from the corner of the room and into the light. She was dressed quite fancily for such an occasion, her outfit hugging her curves and her hair framing her face. She was alluring in every sense of the word, and it seemed like she wanted to use that to her ability. “I took fine care of him. Just a little drug, it’s really nothing.”</p><p>	“I’m glad to hear it,” Kenma said, refusing to look in her direction for any longer than he needed to. “What do you want? Money? Is that why I’m here?”</p><p>	“We already told you, we don’t want your money, but if you keep offering it, we’ll gladly oblige.” Kenma rolled his eyes at Daichi’s gruffness.</p><p>	“I get it, okay? Organized crime. What does that have to do with me, though?”</p><p>	“You, Satoru Inei, are a member of the Nekoma Mafia.” Daichi’s statement rolled off the tongue easily, sounding so natural that there was so way it could have been a fabrication. Kenma smirked up at Daichi, his eyes glowing in the dark. “Aren’t you going to deny it? You’re oh-so elusive, no?”</p><p>	“My name isn’t Satoru Inei,” he said.</p><p>	“Don’t try and deny it,” Kageyama growled, “I know who you are. Kozume Kenma is just an alias.”</p><p>	“You’ve got it mixed up,” he admitted, turning his piercing gaze towards Kageyama. “Do you honestly think I’d trust rich, powerful people like that with my personal information? If I’m so elusive, don’t you think I’d keep my name out of the headlines?” Kageyama considered the man’s words. It made sense why he would have an alias for the spotlight, but-</p><p>	“So you’d give your real name away to a perfect stranger?”</p><p>	Kenma shrugged his shoulders easily. “I guess so. I don’t do it often, and I’m not really sure why I did it this time. I learned my lesson, though. I’m sitting in this jank-ass room right now, all because I gave my name away to some guy at the arcade. I don’t think I regret it, though. I liked hanging out with him.” Kenma spoke as if Hinata wasn’t in the room, and his raw honesty about Hinata riled Kageyama up.</p><p>	“Well, you can’t take back what you did.” Kageyama’s voice was becoming embarrassingly aggressive. “And now, you’ve got to deal with the consequences.”</p><p> </p><p>	“All we want,” Daichi said, sternly interjecting Kageyama’s rant, “is to work with you and Nekoma. There’s a lot we can offer you, and even if you refuse, we know enough to not let this go.” Kageyama was surprised Daichi would outright threaten Kenma, especially considering they didn’t really have the upper hand. </p><p>	“Okay.” Every single crow in the room stared in wide-eyed shock at Kenma’s ease to agree. </p><p>	“O-okay? Okay what?” Kageyama asked,</p><p>	“You want us to work with you? We’ll do it. You found me, after all. What would be the point of saying no to someone who was good enough to trap me?”</p><p> </p><p>	“W-we didn’t trap you, you came willingly,” Daichi said, dropping his dark facade in light of Kenma’s continued willingness.</p><p>	“Maybe… but I still trust Hinata, and if he trusts you, then I will too.” Kenma smiled fondly at the thought of being tied to Hinata by something so sinister. Two seemingly innocent people having the most criminal bond. It was incredibly fun to think about.</p><p>	Kageyama, on the other hand, was irritated out of his mind. Kozume Kenma was a complete idiot. What kind of fool willingly walks into criminal territory just because he trusts a perfect stranger? Hell, even if he and Hinata were close, what kind of closeness permits this kind of trust? Kageyama barely even trusted that much, how could Kenma, someone of a higher standard, do it so easily?</p><p>	He knew exactly why, and it was all for Hinata.</p><p>	“Look, I get if you’re skeptical, but I’ve got nothing to hide,” Kenma said, addressing the uneasy silence. “My name is Kozume Kenma, I go by Satoru Inei at Bouncing Ball, and I am a member of Nekoma.” Still, he was met with uneasy stares. It seemed much too easy for something that was known for being nearly impossible.</p><p>	“I’ve got two phones in my left pocket,” Kenma said, nodding towards his left side. “One of them has a paw print on it. That’s the personal phone. If you take it out, I’ll give you the passcode, and you can call anyone that’s a designated member and interrogate them yourselves.”</p><p>	“What if they aren’t as easy to get to as you?” Daichi asked skeptically.</p><p>	“They will be. It’s conduct. If one of us is found out, which only ever happens willingly, someone else is required to be honest about their affiliation. Like a job reference, sorta.” Daichi eyed Kenma carefully, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the phone with the sticker on the case.</p><p>	“The code is 1742Kodzu.” Daichi typed in the password, and the phone unlocked with ease. Kageyama watched carefully, trying to read Daichi’s expression as he scrolled through the phone, but his face showed nothing of importance.</p><p>	“Who’s Lev?” Daichi asked after a moment.</p><p>	“Oh, God. He’s with us, but he’s a rookie. You can call him, but I’d recommend someone with more experience.” </p><p>	“No, thanks,” Daichi said, dialing Lev’s number. Kageyama understood why Daichi had done it- to avoid a possible trap set by Kenma. Still, there seemed to be no reason why Kenma would start a fight now, and Kageyama had a bad feeling that this call wouldn’t go very smoothly.</p><p>	“Hello?” A tinny voice rang out from the phone.</p><p>“Lev Haiba.”</p><p>“Kenma, either you took a shot of testosterone, or you’re on a hot date. Which is it? Weren’t you supposed to be out with a friend tonight? Oh, I get it. A special friend, eh?” Already, Kageyama suspected that Kenma genuinely had been warning Daichi to call someone else for a good reason.</p><p>	“Don’t worry, Kenma’s in good hands here,” Daichi teased. “We wouldn’t want to hurt someone from a group as powerful as Nekoma, now would we?” The voice on the other end of the line went silent for a beat too long.</p><p>	“Who are you?” Lev asked.</p><p>	“I need you to answer something for me,” Daichi began.</p><p>	“No, no, no, not until you tell me where you’ve got Kenma. YAKU!” Lev called out to a character on the other line.</p><p>	“Where I’ve got him doesn’t matter. All I need is for you to tell me-”</p><p>	“YAKU!” Lev called out. </p><p>	“Fuck, Lev,” a voice rang out in the background of the call. “What do you want?”</p><p>	“It’s Kenma!” Lev called out! “Well, it’s not. It’s the people who got him! They got Kenma! We gotta go get him back or-”</p><p>	“Lev, shut the fuck up and answer his question!” Kenma exclaimed, losing his temper with the man on the other end. Faint laughter was heard on the other end of the line, likely Yaku.</p><p>	“Lev, who are you affiliated with?”</p><p> </p><p>	With a sigh, the man on the other line answered, “Nekoma.”</p><p>	“Lev, who is Kenma to you?”</p><p>	“My boss,” the man grumbled.</p><p>	“Lev, where are you located?”</p><p>	There was a pause on the line, and every crow, and even Kenma, was on edge.</p><p>	“I trust them, Lev,” Kenma said. </p><p>	“We’ll send the address,” another man answered, likely Yaku.</p><p>	“How do we know it’s the right one?” Daichi asked, still skeptical.</p><p>	“I’ll let you keep me here until you decide you’re comfortable enough to come with me,” Kenma offered.</p><p>	“Kenma, you idiot!” Lev exclaimed. “You’re gonna let yourself be held hostage?”</p><p>	“I’ve already let myself be kidnapped,” he joked. “I don’t imagine this can be much worse.”</p><p>	“Send us the location, Lev,” Daichi said. “We’ll be over, tonight, with Kenma. Kenma has already given us the green light that you as Nekoma will work with us.”</p><p>	“Kenma!” Yaku exclaimed.</p><p>	“Who are you, anyway?” Lev asked.</p><p>	“The Karasuno Crows.” Daichi hung up the call without another word, holding onto the phone in anticipation of receiving the location from Lev.</p><p>	“Thank you for not wanting to hold me hostage,” Kenma teased.</p><p>	“You’re no use to us here,” Daichi teased back. The phone pinged in his hand, and the text was received. “Load the vans. We’re going to Nekoma.”</p><p>	It all happened so quickly after that. Kenma was untied from the chair as Yachi peeled back the panel walls. Asahi re-wrapped the blindfold around Kenma as a precaution, and was guided back outside to the van by Daichi and Asahi. Nishinoya and Tanaka were practically skipping to their vans, and Kiyoko and Ennoshita followed behind. Kageyama watched everyone pass by him as he made his way towards where Hinata was still seated towards the end of the stage.</p><p>	“That’s it, huh?” Hinata said. Upon looking closer, Kageyama realized that Hinata was tearing up. He dropped to his knees where he could be eye-level with the ginger.</p><p>	“Why are you upset?” He asked.</p><p>	“I’m not, really. I’m just shocked. That was so easy, even considering my massive fuck up.” A fat tear slid down the boy’s porcelain skin, and it took all of Kageyama’s self-control to not reach out and wipe it off of his cheek. “All of that worry for a simple ‘yes.’ Can you believe it?” Hinata chuckled to himself at the absurdity of it all. Kageyama stood up, holding his hand out for Hinata to grab on and balance as they left the stage.</p><p>	“I think I can,” Kageyama admitted. He, too, would do what Kenma did. All for Hinata.</p><p>	Trailing behind HInata and Kageyama was the final three crows: Sugawara, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi.</p><p>	“Yachi’s a god,” Yamaguchi said brightly. “She bugged the stage, we have everything from the interrogation.”</p><p>	“Not that we’re going to need anything from it,” Sugawara chuckled. “I’ve never seen anything run more smoothly than that in my life.”</p><p>	All for Hinata.</p><p>	Kageyama and Hinata got in the medical van again as the other three returned to the control van. Moments later, they departed for Nekoma.</p><p>	Nishinoya again drove like a drunk, speeding and serving and skidding to stops. Kageyama put an arm protectively over Hinata’s shoulder as if he was a makeshift seatbelt. Hinata leaned into him carefully, resting his head on Kageyama’s shoulder. Kageyama hated his inability to use words, but he’d gladly use his body to convey just what was going through his head, even if that was all he could do.</p><p>	All for Hinata.</p><p>	Nekoma was nearly two hours away, making it severely late into the night. Kageyama would likely have to call off work the next day, and he supposed the rest of them would too. However, he’d do it gladly in the name of reaching new heights, and this manor of an HQ was certainly a new height.</p><p>	As they got out of the van, they were met with a sight unlike anything they’d ever seen in their lives. It was the most extravagant house Kageyama had ever laid eyes on, and that was saying a lot considering the high-life his parents had brought him into at such a young age. It was damn near a castle, an entire nation could have run inside its walls. The rest of the crows admired it with the same energy that Kageyama did. Hinata’s eyes lit up like campfires as he stared upon the house, and Kageyama could swear he could hear his heart beating out of his chest. He was glad they’d been able to get to this point.</p><p>	All for Hinata.</p><p>	Kenma was now without a blindfold, leading the crows around the side of the building. ‘Can you pull the knocker down?” Kenma asked, nodding towards the elegant door knocker on the center of the wooden door. Daichi grabbed on the handle, pulling the knob down, revealing a cat’s eye. Kenma leaned forward, staring directly at its center. A tiny buzz erupted from it’s system, and the door clicked. “It should open for you now,” Kenma said, nodding to the doorknob. Daichi pulled on the handle, and the heavy oaken door creaked open, revealing the most extravagant room any of them had ever seen.</p><p>	Golds and reds coated the walls and floor, statues, bookshelves, and glass display cases filled with treasures and weaponry filled the room. Kageyama heard Hinata gasp lightly beside him, and hell, he might have let out a tiny gasp himself. It was so stark and rich, the cupidity of the room was seeping into his very blood. It was intoxicating. </p><p>The crows filled in, following Kenma down the hall and towards the left, where a court-like room awaited them. The front of the room was made up like a king’s throne. There was a long, gold-etched table lined with large velvet thrones. A step below it was another table and thrones of the same quality. Some of the thrones were already filled with Kenma’s members. One looked scruffy and had a mohawk. He and Tanaka were already making teasing faces at one another, disrupting the otherwise elegant mood of the room.</p><p>Another man with ice-blue eyes and grey hair looked around curiously at the new visitors. When he saw Kenma, he waved wildly, calling out his name. Kenma hushed him, and the man beside him slapped him sharply on the wrist. If Kageyama had to guess, the taller would be Lev and the shorter would be Yaku. </p><p>The crows were seated in their thrones, Kageyama making sure he was next to Hinata as they did. They watched as Nekoma members filled in along with them, seating themselves at the higher up level. It felt performative and unnecessary, but who was he to say? Afterall, these people had enough money to buy stupid shit like this anyway. Why wouldn’t they do this?</p><p>“Alrighty, let’s get started, shall we?” A voice boomed from outside the room. Kageyama watched as a man with insane, spiky bed-head walked into the room. He was easily 6’5, sleep-deprived, and totally arrogant. His smile was more of a smirk, and he looked at the crows with a predatory smile. “I see you found my Kenma.”</p><p>Everyone’s eyes averted towards the sound of the screech. Tsukishima had stood up out of his seat, hands gripping the edge of the table with a ferocity that Kageyama had never seen before. Hinata turned to him, eyes searching for answers, but Kageyama had none to give. Tsukishima looked like he could die at any moment. His face was pale and his jaw hung slack.</p><p>“Oh. What a pleasant surprise,” the bed-head dude purred.</p><p>“Kuroo-”</p><p>“My Tsukki,” Kuroo mused, walking over to where Tsukishima was barely holding himself up. “It seems you’ve found me. Congratulations, dear.” Kuroo placed a kiss to Tsukishima’s forehead before stalking away from the table. The crows watched in stunned horror as the scene unfolded before their eyes.</p><p>“Y-you? Why didn’t you-”</p><p>“Me, darling,” Kuroo smiled. “Sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner.” Kuroo stepped away from a still reeling Tsukishima and threw his arms open with a laugh. Welcome to Nekoma!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I had the world's worst writers block for like. a week, and I wrote this whole chapter in probably three hours. my fingers are so stiff</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Nerd Solidarity</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Part One of the KuroTsuki backstory.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>18.</p><p>	Kei Tsukishima was bored, and he had been for a long time. Hell, that was an understatement. He’d been bored his whole life, and nothing had come anywhere close to bringing him any kind of satisfaction. Sure, he had interests, and he had a friend or two, but he felt like he couldn’t feel what anyone else around him did. He saw people smile, and laugh, and chase each other down the street, dance in the rain, and cry in the movies. Tsukishima hadn’t done any of that, and he didn’t know what it was that he was missing.</p><p>	He’d been a part of the crows for a full year at that point. He’d joined alongside his best friend,Tadashi, not expecting much to come of it. Tadashi was having one of his typical manic streaks, and he’d managed to get an in with the group after buying drugs from the sweet girl he’d met just hours before. Tadashi had practically begged Tsukishima to join with him, and despite his protests, he ended up following Tadashi’s lead into the group. At first he’d joined for the sake of protecting Tadashi from the inevitable danger that would come with joining a street gang. He stayed because he found that it was one of the only things that made him feel less dull.</p><p>	He’d just gotten a job at the museum which also helped with that aching emptiness. He enjoyed history and he often let his mind wander about the extraordinary aspects of the past. It was embarrassing to admit, but he was particularly nerdy about the Jurassic period. He was enthralled with dinosaurs and the biological phenomenon he would never himself be able to witness. Still, it was quite mundane. He wasn’t high up in the ranks yet, and often was doing busywork or helping the higher-ups manage their work. So, all in all, his job was more of an internship for the time being. Still, there was nowhere else that he could see himself.</p><p>	It was quite a mundane Thursday evening, as they typically were. It was his break, and he often spent those wandering around the halls of the museum instead of mingling with his co-workers. He didn’t mind some of them, but others prided themselves on being superior in knowledge, and Tsukishima couldn’t stand an arrogant asshole. So, he deigned to spend his few moments of time away with those mythical beings.</p><p>	He was sure the halls were empty when he got there, as the closing time was nearing quickly. He stared up at the life-size recreations of those beings, mesmerized by the sheer power that even the inanimate form had. He couldn’t believe just how majestic they had once been. Even the incredible can’t last forever.</p><p>	“We may never know how they died.” A deep, sultry voice came from Tsukishima’s left, startling him out of his trance.</p><p>	“What?”</p><p>	“The dinosaurs,” the man said, nodding towards the exhibit. “Such powerful creatures, gone in a flash. What could have possibly exterminated such formidable beings?” Tsukishima was in awe that the conversation was taking place at all, because this certainly wasn’t one of his co-workers. The man was dressed nicely, but Tsukishima would remember seeing someone as unique as him. Tsukishima was well over six feet tall, but this man was taller. His eyes were practically glowing and his smirk looked like it was melted right onto his face. Tsukishima would think he was quite well put together if it wasn’t for the raging spiked hair falling into his face.</p><p>	“Well, the most popular theory at the moment is about the K-T event,” Tsukishima said, averting his eyes from the other man’s lingering stare. “Of course, that poses the question of how some species were able to come out of it okay.”</p><p>	“It’s likely they burrowed into the ground and were able to save themselves from any direct impact, but of course, the resulting earthquakes, floods, and of course lack of any basic needs… I personally believe it was more so the result of some catastrophic climate change.”</p><p>	“Wouldn’t you consider the long-lasting effects of a meteor impact to be climate change?” The man smirked at Tsukishima’s question.</p><p>	“I suppose so, but I think the extinction had to start taking place before that. The gradual drop of temperatures around the globe, toxic gases in the air, hell, even a plague or lack of nutrients to support such large bodies. I’d say that their population was dwindling much before the main event.” The man stuck his hand out in Tsukishima’s direction, prompting him to face the taller man. “I’m Tetsuro Kuroo,” the man said, his smirk raising on his face.</p><p>	“Kei Tsukishima,” he responded with a shake. He, too, put his hand out to return the gesture. Kuroo’s grip was firm but not rough.</p><p>	“Do you work here? I feel like I’ve seen you around sometimes,” Kuroo said, turning his attention back to the exhibit.</p><p>	“I do,” Tsukishima admitted. “Not for long, though.”</p><p>	“Explains why you know so much about the extinction of one of the greatest species alive,” Kuroo teased. “I don’t work in a museum, or anything history related, actually. I’m just a huge nerd.” Tsukishima, against his own will, let out a chuckle. Kuroo was charming, as much as he would hate to admit it. “I am also such a nerd that I’m here on my day off. Can you believe that?”</p><p>	“I can,” Tsukishima admitted. “I’m on break right now, wandering the halls of my own workplace. Because I find it interesting.” It was embarrassing that he was talking about his own nerdy interests, especially to a stranger. The way Kuroo smiled back at him made him feel less insecure though. It was strange.</p><p>	“Nerd solidarity, huh?” Kuroo chuckled. Tsukishima allowed his lips to curve upwards.</p><p>	“Absolutely.”</p><p>			------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>	Tsukishima was still bored, but now there was the occasional exception. Kuroo often came and visited the museum on Thursday nights during Tsukishima’s break. Together, they would peruse around the museum and talk about the various exhibits and their nerdy interests. Tsukishima had been shocked to see Kuroo again, but the more it happened, the more he found himself looking forward to those nights.</p><p>	Kuroo was such an interesting character. He was loud and graceless, yet alluring and intelligent. He was a paradox, but not one that Tsukishima felt that he had to decode. Simply, that’s who he was. Tsukshima honestly didn’t believe that he was putting on a facade for him, that he was being completely and utterly himself. That interested him greatly.</p><p>	Their evening continued in the same amiable manner that it always did. They traded banter about the exhibit and got to know each other more. However, there was something different about that night that had been slowly progressing as each week passed. They walked ever so slightly closer together, spent less time talking about their surroundings and more time talking about each other. It was strange for Tsukishima to be open about himself, but it was worth it to hear Kuroo tell stories of his childhood, his likes and dislikes, his interests.</p><p>	They’d often talk about their theories on history and discuss discrepancies with the way history was taught. Kuroo often had more to say on the technological and scientific aspects of things, but Tsukishima was able to keep up just fine. He’d minored in biology in college and was the type of person to hyperfixate on something that piqued his interest. Kuroo seemed to enjoy their meetings and always had that same mischievous smirk plastered onto his face. It annoyed Tsukishima, but not in the way that most things did. He hated what that smirk did to him, and he hated the way he chased the feeling of making it appear on Kuroo's face.</p><p>	“Do you really like coming here that much?” Tsukishima asked one night. They’d been doing these meetups for weeks now, and as much as Tsukishima was looking forward to them, he wondered if the other man felt the same.</p><p>	“Yeah, I do,” Kuroo said. Kuroo smirked lazily at Tsukishima before turning his gaze back towards the exhibit they were in front of- the Ocean.</p><p>	Tsukiishima really liked the ocean exhibit. There was a large glass wall on the far side that held actual sea creatures like a mini aquarium and the whole room was dimmed with deep blue lighting. There were life size models of sharks, squid, and schools of fish everywhere you turned. It was one of the more elegant rooms of the museum, and it always calmed Tsukishima down. However, his mind was now racing inconsolably with the questions he yearned to ask the other man, and he couldn’t stop himself from saying what needed to be said.</p><p>	“Don’t you get tired of seeing the same things every week though?”</p><p>	“Of course not,” Kuroo said, turning quizzically towards Tsukishima. “Don’t you?”</p><p>	“N-no, but I work here,” Tsukishima argued. </p><p>	“Right, and you choose to take your breaks here too. Do you ever get sick of it?” Of course Tsukishima didn’t get sick of it. He was a total nerd and could reread the exhibit information over and over again and he would find it neat every time. However, it wasn’t the informational plaques that kept him coming back every Thursday night.</p><p>	“I don’t think I could ever get sick of it,” Tsukishima admitted, not talking about the exhibits anymore. Kuroo’s lips curled into a genuine smile, and Tsukishima had to avert his gaze.</p><p>	“Yknow, there’s a lot of really cool museums around here, and I don’t think I’ve been to them all, but I’ve been to quite a few.” Tsukishima looked back at Kuroo who was staring directly into Tsukishima’s eyes. His cat-like eyes seemed to glow in the dim lighting of the room. “Even still, I think this one would be my favorite. I’ll always keep coming back because this one has something that I know the others won’t.” Tsukishima willed himself to jump to conclusions but Kuroo was being quite clear about what he meant by that. Tsukishima would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t like the feeling that those vague words gave him. He yearned for more.</p><p>	But Kuroo didn’t say more. He simply bumped Tsukishima’s shoulder with his own, and the pair continued on their walk throughout the exhibit. It wasn’t until later in the night that Kuroo asked the question that Tsukishima had been yearning to hear.</p><p>	“I don’t know if you’d be interested, but I was going to go get dinner after this, would you… wanna…?” For someone that was often so bold and outgoing, Kuroo was submissive and shy when asking this question. His eyes remained firm on Tsukishima’s but his voice faded out as his request became more obvious. Tsukishima felt his lips curve up into something akin to a smile as he watched Kuroo stumble over the proposal.</p><p>	“That would be nice,” he answered simply. Kuroo’s lips curled into a bright smile, and he nodded down at his feet.</p><p>	“Good.”</p><p>	And so that’s what they did. Tsukishima went back to work for the last remaining chunk of his shift, and for the first time ever, he found himself looking forward to something beyond just going home after a long day. He did his job diligently, but he found that his mind often wandered away from his immediate tasks. He found himself thinking about the man with the lopsided smirk and glowing eyes and raging bedhead and easy composure. Something about Kuroo was completely entrancing, and Tsukishima was falling victim to his charm.</p><p>	When it finally came time to clock out, Tsukishima practically dropped everything just to meet him. He nearly speed-ran his normal routine, taking not-so-meticulous care of his belongings and leaving a somewhat unorganized mess to deal with in the morning. He supposed that it would be worth it, and that he shouldn’t waste any time tonight.</p><p>	He signed out quickly, running through the lobby and out the front doors. He had all of ten minutes to get to the place he and Kuroo had decided on, and he didn’t want to be late. He didn’t want to waste any second with the other man, and the more he’d be able to get, the better. He also didn’t want Kuroo to think he wasn’t interested, because he absolutely, totally was. What if Kuroo thought he was too disinterested? What if Kuroo though he was doing this just because? God forbid, what if he was reading Kuroo wrong and this whole situation was completely platonic and he was just reaching, and nothing was actually going on, and Kuroo didn’t actually like him, and-</p><p>	“Tsukki.” As if it already wasn’t embarrassing enough to be caught running, it was exponentially more embarrassing when Tsukishima saw who it was. Kuroo stood leaning against the wall of the museum, a light smile playing on his lips and that same mischievous glint in his eye. Tsukishima felt a wild blush bloom across his face. </p><p>	“Hi, Kuroo,” he said quietly, willing the embarrassment to wipe off of his face. He cleared his throat, earning a chuckle from Kuroo.</p><p>	“I imagine you’re hungry after doing all that running,” Kuroo said, bumping his shoulder with Tsukishima’s as they began their walk.</p><p>	“Shut up,” Tsukishima mumbled, earning a hearty laugh from the man beside him. Embarrassment aside, earning those laughs from Kuroo was worth it.</p><p>	They made their way to the ramen place down the street, a hole in the wall joint that they were both familiar with due to the proximity of the museum. It wasn’t all too crowded due to the later hour of the night, and the pair was able to claim a table near the window. They got themselves situated, and not even a few moments had passed before Tsukishima began to grow nervous. What if this went bad? Why did he care? Was he supposed to care this much?</p><p>	“What’s up with you today, Tsukki?” Tsukki. No one called him that but Tadashi. He often didn’t like when people called him that, but Kuroo made it endearing. It was the second time he’d said it that day, but the first that Tsukishima could really appreciate it.</p><p>	“What do you mean?” he asked, blowing off the implications of the question.</p><p>	“What do you mean, what do I mean? You seem nervous.” Kuroo was too perceptive for his own good. Tsukishima’s usual uninterested facade was no good with him.</p><p>	“I don’t get nervous,” Tsukishima said plainly. It wasn’t a direct lie. He never had gotten nervous before. Before Kuroo, that was.</p><p>	“I don’t know. You just seem really in your head today. Is it something at the museum?” Kuroo’s eyebrow was furrowed with concern, and Tsukishima was slightly distracted by how his face looked when it was scrunched like that.</p><p>	“I guess… I don’t know. Just a funk, I guess,” Tsukishima said. How was he supposed to casually admit why he was so torn up? Was he just supposed to come out and say, ‘oh, I’m just a wreck at the moment because I finally feel alive and it’s all your fault?’ Hell, Kuroo would probably get a kick out of that.</p><p>	“What?” Tsukishima looked up from his hands into Kuroo’s face. His cheeks were rosy and his eyes were widened more than Tsukishima ever imagined they could go.</p><p>	“What?”</p><p>	“No, what did you say?” Kuroo said, urging Tsukishima to repeat what he’d just said.</p><p>	“I’m in a funk?” Tsukishima wasn’t so sure what was so entertaining about that sentiment.</p><p>	“No, the other thing,” Kuroo said, excitedly waving his hands in the air.</p><p>	“What other thing?” Tsukishima was officially lost.</p><p>	“You finally feel alive.” Now it was Tsukishima’s turn for his eyes to widen. His mouth hung agape as he took in Kuroo’s words. They stared at each other in disbelief, the both of them registering what had just been said. Tsukishima was damn near more surprised that he’d said it out loud than Kuroo who had heard it at all. Kuroo busted out into laughter, making Tsukishima spiral again. Did he honestly just fuck things up that bad?</p><p>	“I- I didn’t-”</p><p>	“No, you did. You totally said that,” Kuroo said. He was leaning forward enthusiastically, smiling uncontrollably at Tsukishima who was still balking at the entire situation. His mouth was too dry to even begin to justify what he’d said. There was no way he’d actually said that outloud. He was hallucinating. He had to be. “Tsukki, say something.”</p><p>	“Apparently I already did,” Tsukishima said, noting Kuroo’s use of the fond nickname. He couldn’t be that mad, could he?”</p><p>	“Come on. We need to go,” Kuroo said, suddenly standing up. He was already moving away from the table before Tsukishima had even registered his words.</p><p>	“Where are we going?” Tsukishima asked, chasing after Kuroo, who was nearly halfway out the door.</p><p>	“Just follow me. Follow me.” Kuroo couldn’t even face Tsukishima as he walked. His legs were so long and his strides were so broad that Tsukishima nearly had to jog to keep up, and he HATED jogging. He was too nervous to say anything, too nervous to ask any questions, too nervous to slow down, too nervous to turn back. Tsukishima was going to punch a hole in his wall when he got home.</p><p>	They walked (jogged?) in any which way. He was blindly following Kuroo, who seemed to know his way around the streets as they went, but Tsukishima was completely lost. He wasn’t new to the city, but he often stayed within his own parameters. This was much beyond his comfort zone for several reasons.</p><p>	After maybe ten minutes of travel, they arrived at a bridge that crossed a small river. They were in the Imperial Garden. Tsukishima probably hadn’t been here since his parents brought him and his brother as a small child, but he recognized the garden that stretched out before them. The bridge itself was beautiful, lit up and reflecting low ovr the water that flowed peacefully beneath them. Tsukishima couldn’t spend much time thinking about it, though, with the way that Kuroo was looking at him.</p><p>	“Nijubashi Bridge,” Kuroo explained, breathless from the quick walk.</p><p>	“It’s nice,” Tsukishima said plainly.</p><p>	“I used to come here when I was bored. Well, actually I used to come here on my breaks. It was a nice change of scenery and it was pretty and it was calming.” Kuroo smiled down at his shoes before returning his gaze to Tsukishima. “This used to be my place. My escape. Honestly, though, I haven’t come here in a few months. I’d much rather go to the museum these days.”</p><p>	“Kuroo, I-”</p><p>	“Kei.” Tsukishima balked at the use of his first name, but wasn’t able to get a word out about the absurdity of it before Kuroo had grabbed on to his hand, pulling him towards the other man. Tsukishima could feel his face heating up despite himself, but he was caught too off guard to be able to fix it. “I’ll go to any museum during my breaks, but there’s only one I’ll go to on my days off. And only one reason why I’ll go to that one specifically.”</p><p>	Tsukishima could barely hear what Kuroo was saying over the pounding of his heart bumping in his ears. It was all too much to take in, it was all happening so fast, and-</p><p>	“You’re my happy place.”</p><p>	Kuroo’s soft smile was radiating down on Tsukishima like the sun. He could feel Kuroo’s warmth as he let his words soak in, desperately grabbing on to the meaning behind it. Tsukishima was his happy place. Tsukishima felt a smile spreading wildly across his features, and he watched as Kuroo mimicked his expression. They were giddy that night, riding on such an unexpected, yet satisfying high. That night, their bond grew deeper than they’d ever expected, but it would only get closer as time went on.</p><p> </p><p>				-----------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>	Kuroo hadn’t formally asked Tsukishima to move in yet, but they were practically living together all the same. They had been together for several months and they were attached at the hip. Tsukishima had tried to put distance between them after the awkwardness of the confession, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it for long. He ignored Kuroo’s calls and texts, afraid of getting too close to the other man. He’d never been close to someone like that, not even Tadashi. </p><p>	He even considered skipping out on his break that next Thursday. But of course, as he wandered the halls of the museum, he found Kuroo there waiting for him with a bright smile that Tsukishima couldn’t help but return. They’d gone out for ramen that night, decided to move forward with their relationship, and the night ended with Kuroo laying in Tsukishima’s bed, limbs tangled around each other and the warmth of the closeness thawing Tsukishima’s heart. He really did feel alive.</p><p>	Ever since he and Kuroo had gotten together, Tsukishima had been spending less and less time with the crows. Of course, they were only doing small jobs and weren’t needing much setup from him, and oftentimes they didn’t require his presence at Karasuno. He was able to spend the bulk of his nights with Kuroo and their domestic love life was taking off.</p><p>	On the nights Kuroo worked late, Tsukishima would take him a hot meal during his break and distract him from the stress of the lab. Kuroo worked at a pharmaceutical company, and the work was demanding. He often would greet Tsukishima hastily, rushing around to finish whatever project was in front of him before Tsukishima would have to pull him away from the job. They’d share a meal, and Kuroo would be able to relax back into his charismatic self before going back into the fire.</p><p>	On the nights Tsukishima worked late, Kuroo often wasn’t able during his breaks. Instead, Kuroo would come during a tour, insert himself into the group, and Tsukishima would be forced to parade him around the museum like the young children who joined him. Kuroo would ask questions that Tsukishima knew he knew the answer to, but he was obligated to answer them. Honestly, he liked how tacky Kuroo could be. It was endearing, and he enjoyed the conversation even if it was forced- even if it was one they’d had a thousand times over.</p><p>	On a night when they were both able to go home at a decent time, they wouldn’t spend their nights out on the town. Kuroo would always invite Tsukishima over, and he was more than happy to comply. Tsukishima wasn’t the type to parade around the city on his time off, and luckily for him, Kuroo only seemed to want to spend time with Tsukishima in the comfort of his own apartment.</p><p>	“It’s easier to talk to you and I don’t have to worry about grossing people out with all this PDA,” Kuroo said, planting kisses all over Tsukishima’s face.</p><p>	“You’re so gross,” Tsukishima chuckled, reveling in the feeling of being showered with love. He wasn’t often a clingy person, but he would never get enough from Kuroo’s touches. There was a very strong sense of domestic bliss that lived in that apartment alongside the two men, and they loved the comfort that they got from one another. However, it didn’t take long for Tsukishima to have his reservations.</p><p>	Besides his own insecurities, which Kuroo had helped him quell incredibly, Tsukishima had noticed something about Kuroo that he wasn’t sure he’d be able to help. One night, Tsukishima had awoken to the chill of being alone. The warm body that usually surrounded his was no longer there, and the mattress felt lopsided with him being the only one in it. As his eyes adjusted to the room, he realized that Kuroo definitely was not beside him, and the door was opened just a crack. He slipped on a sweatshirt and tiptoed outside the room to find his partner.</p><p>	The lights were all off excluding the porch light, which typically remained off during the nights. Through the glass door, Tsukishima could see Kuroo standing over the edge, hunched over the balcony railing. Tsukishima watched as a puff of smoke billowed over the top of Kuroo’s head as it was carried away by the wind. After all this time, Tsukishima hadn’t known that he’d smoked.</p><p>	Tsukishima moved towards the doors, sliding them open to stand with Kuroo. Kuroo didn’t seem to react as he moved out onto the balcony. The warm summer night wrapped around the both of them as Tsukishima sidled up next to the other man. That’s when it hit him like a ton of bricks. The smell of marijuana invaded his senses just as Kuroo turned to look at Tsukishima with red eyes.</p><p>	“How long have you been out here?” Tsukishima asked.</p><p>	“Not sure. Maybe half an hour?” Kuroo sniffed as he took the joint away from his mouth. “How long have you been up?”</p><p>	“About five minutes. I noticed you were gone, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”</p><p>	Kuroo smiled lazily and chuckled, although it sounded more like a cough. “I’m just fine, Tsukki. Couldn’t sleep is all.” Kuroo must have noticed Tsukishima’s gaze flickering down towards the joint, and he lifted it up in offering, saying, “You wanna hit?”</p><p>	“Uh, no, I’m okay,” Tsukishima said. He had smoked before and it wasn’t exactly a pleasurable memory. “I didn’t know you smoked,” he admitted.</p><p>	“Ah, yeah, I do. Only sometimes, though. Usually when I can’t sleep or I’m too riled up.” Kuroo took another hit, letting the smoke push out of his lips slowly and gracefully. Tsukishima watched in both awe and nervousness as Kuroo made the movement. He had to admit that Kuroo looked beautiful with smoke, but he was nervous that maybe something was wrong.</p><p>	“Do you… smoke often?” Tsukishima asked delicately. He didn’t want Kuroo to think he was being judged.</p><p>	“To be honest, I haven’t much since I met you.” Tsukishima blushed at the sentiment. “I used to a bunch, though. My buddy and I, uh, Satoru would get high and play video games. It’s not technically an addictive substance so I was pretty good about controlling how and when I did it.”</p><p>	“As long as you’re sure nothing is wrong,” Tsukishima said, brushing off the situation. He was still concerned, but he didn’t want Kuroo to think he cared all that much. Even though he did. A lot. It wasn’t that Tsukishima was against drugs- he was in a street gang, after all. He knew his own experiences with it, though, and after hearing Kuroo explain why he used it, he didn’t exactly feel more comfortable with it. Still, he decided it would be best just to leave it alone, and hopefully help Kuroo deal with things in a better manner.</p><p> </p><p>				----------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>	It had been slightly over a year when Kuroo finally suggested they look for an apartment together. It came after Tsukishima admitted to his lease being up in a few weeks. He was already looking at apartments closer to Kuroo, and he had the money saved up for one that was slightly larger than the one he was currently in. Kuroo’s lease wouldn’t be up for another few months, and he’d suggested that Tsukishima move in full time. It wasn’t such a big deal given that Tsukishima was practically already living there full time. When Tsukishima asked what would happen after Kuroo’s lease was up, the other man simply said, “we’ll look for one together,” with a shrug and a smile. It had caught Tsukishima off guard with how easy it was to decide. Of course, he wanted it just as bad as Kuroo.</p><p>	Living with Kuroo officially was no different than living with Kuroo before. They woke up beside one another while Kuroo clinged onto Tsukishima for dear life. Kuroo would go to work early, but always had a cup of coffee with Tsukishima before he left. Tsukishima would take care of any chores left over from the day before and then go on his way. When they were both home, Kuroo would make them dinner and they would catch up with each other. It was so simple, so domestic, yet Tsukishima couldn’t get enough. Every moment he spent with Kuroo was like heaven, and whenever they were apart, even for just a moment, Tsukishima was looking forward to the next time they’d be together.</p><p>	That ended up being more often than not when things at Karasuno started picking up speed.</p><p>	Tsukishima started to have to tactfully avoid Kuroo in the evenings. He couldn’t claim he was working late because he knew Kuroo would just show up to give him company. More often than not, he’d say he was helping Tadashi through an episode, but eventually, Kuroo started to get upset.</p><p>	“If he’s your best friend, I want to be there for you,” Kuroo would complain. “You shouldn’t have to go through that alone.”</p><p>	“I know, but he’s weird about new people,” Tsukishima lied. “I don’t want to make him more uncomfortable than he already is.”</p><p>	“What, do you think he doesn’t like me?” Kuroo pouted.</p><p>	“I don’t think it’s possible for someone to not like you,” Tsukishima said, taking Kuroo’s hand into his own and kissing it gingerly. “When he’s feeling better, I promise we can go visit him together, okay?” Tsukishima had taken Kuroo to meet Tadashi once. They had gotten along fine, but Tadashi truly was a bit skeptical about new people. Tadashi had reassured Tsukishima that he genuinely did approve of Kuroo, but Kuroo wasn’t so sure. He was fully convinced that Tadashi hated him, despite Tsukishima’s reassurances that Tadashi couldn’t hate anyone.</p><p>	“I just feel like you’re gone more often than you’re here,” Kuroo pouted. He looked at Tsukishima with a frown etched deep into his face. Tsukishima knew that this was bothering him more than he let on. Still, there was really nothing Tsukishima could do to ease his nerves.</p><p>	Eventually, Tsukishima came home from Karasuno to the smell of weed lingering in the apartment. He’d find Kuroo stretched out on the sofa, staring blankly at whatever show was playing while toying with a joint that would be dangling between his fingers. He’d barely register that Tsukishima had come home. Tsukishima would go over to Kuroo, snatch the joint from his fingers, and refuse to give it back until the two of them had talked. At first, Kuroo would be quite pliant with Tsukishima and admit that he was worried about him. He would admit to smoking because he was worried about Tsukishima. Tsukishima would always promise to update him on what was going on and to come home earlier.</p><p>	So, Tsukishima would call Kuroo during his meetings with Karasuno. He would easily excuse himself from the room, trailed closely by Tadashi, and call Kuroo to let him know that everything was okay and he’d be home soon. He would always leave the meetings early, much to the disdain of Daichi, but with no regrets. He would do anything to make sure that Kuroo was still happy with him. It worked for a while, until Tsukishima started smelling the weed again.</p><p>	It was obvious that Kuroo was trying to conceal the smell by not directly smoking inside the apartment, but clearly that had fallen through. </p><p>	“Welcome home, Tsukki,” Kuroo would call out, dragging his words with a syruppy slur. He would stumble over to where Tsukishima stood, planting a kiss directly on his forehead. Tsukishima would be able to smell the smoke rolling off of him, and would try to confront the issue. Even so, there came a point where Tsukishima gave up asking, and Kuroo gave up concealing.</p><p>	Of course, there were nights where Tsukishima didn’t go to Karasuno. On those nights, Tsukishima would try to savor each moment he could with his boy. Kuroo wouldn’t smoke, hell, he couldn’t leave Tsukishima’s side if he tried. He insisted that Tsukishima stay by his side as he cooked them dinner, insisted that he curl up in Tsukishima’s chest as they mindlessly watched TV, insisted that they shower in one go (to “save the water bill” according to Kuroo). Tsukishima wasn’t opposed to any of it. He wanted as much of his sober Kuroo as he could get.</p><p>	He longed for the nights of the past with high tension and butterflies in his stomach; of lingering touches and piercing gazes; of whispered words and affectionate actions. Tsukishima was worried that they’d inadvertently pushed things past a point they’d be able to fix, and every moment he could get with those simple, easy moments was like a high of his own.</p><p>	But Karasuno didn’t become easier, and Kuroo didn’t magically become better.</p><p>	Stringing Kuroo along was the very last thing Tsukishima had ever wanted to do, but he wasn’t sure how to make things better. He couldn’t open up about the crows because god knows what kind of consequences he would face. Still, he couldn’t continue on with the lies that he’d been perpetuating for months now. He either would fess up about what he was truly doing and risk losing the light of his life, or continue to lie and risk Kuroo all the same. It was a lose lose situation, and Tsukishima had never cared about something- someone as much as he did now. </p><p>	The decision was quite easy.</p><p>	Tsukishima came home on an average Tuesday night from a particularly easy meeting at Karasuno. He noted the lack of the smell of marijuana as he entered the apartment, a strange contrast to the several other nights he’d come home.</p><p>	“Kuroo?” Tsukishima called out, listening for any signs of life in the apartment. Was it possible that Kuroo had gone out? No, Kuroo would never leave without letting Tsukishima know where he’d gone.</p><p>	Tsukishima stalked around the apartment, searching for signs of life to prove that Kuroo was still there. Sure enough, Kuroo stood pacing the bedroom, staring at his feet as he moved back and forth, back and forth across the scratchy carpet.</p><p>	“Kuroo,” Tsukishima called, willing the other man to notice his presence. Kuroo lifted his cat-like gaze and stopped his movement. </p><p>	“Tsukki.” Tsukishima admittedly calmed down slightly at the use of his nickname. “I’m worried sick about you. Okay? You know I’m worried sick about you. Please, Tsukishima, please tell me what’s going on.” Kuroo’s voice was high-strung and his voice quivered with the force of his request. Tsukishima felt his eyes widen as his jaw hung slack. He watched as Kuroo grabbed onto his hands, pulling him closer and staring directly into his eyes.</p><p>	“Kuroo, I-”</p><p>	“Kei. I have never known a love like you. I have never known a fire like the one you give me. I’ve never known what it’s like to fear something. There is nothing more I fear in this world than losing you. Please, Kei, I don’t want to lose you.” Kuroo’s usually harsh eyes watered, tiny droplets of his physical fear dropping down the angled planes of his face. Tsukishima felt his own eyes go dry as he watched the strongest, brightest person he knew crumble before him, knowing that it was his own fault.</p><p>	It was so easy at that moment to know what to do next.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>dude actually this new year has been kicking my behind so far....</p><p>I've been waiting to write this part of the fic literally since the beginning of September and I'm so glad I'm finally doing it omg. There's hella angst, and I mean ~hella~ angst coming next chapter so prepare yourselves for that. </p><p>As always, thank you endlessly for reading and I hope you're still enjoying!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Honeymoon High</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>KuroTsukki Angst: Part 2</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>19.</p><p>	Kei Tsukishima was well into his twenties, but he was only just now discovering his biggest fear. For the vast majority of his life, Tsukishima didn’t care enough about anything to be afraid of it. He wasn’t scared of storms because he knew they were natural. He wasn’t scared of spiders because they were too small to hurt him. As a child he was scared of heights, but that was before he learned that he wasn’t going to fall. None of the conventional fears that people had ever affected him. It wasn’t in his nature to be afraid of such trivial things.</p><p>	However, as he stood in Kuroo’s bedroom now, watching the strongest and brightest person he’d ever known crumble right before his eyes, knowing that it was his fault, he realizes that he finally has something that he’s desperately afraid of: losing the only thing that makes him feel alive.</p><p>	Kuroo had been on a steep decline ever since Tsukishima’s duties at Karasuno picked up again. Tsukishima had never wanted to leave Kuroo in the dark about his whereabouts, but there was no way to just come out and say, “oh, sorry I can’t spend our time off together, babe, my street gang needs me.” There was no way to justify his absence, even with the truth. He never thought he’d ever have to justify it.</p><p>	And yet, he knew he had to try.</p><p>	“Did I do something wrong?” Kuroo asked weakly. His usually sharp gaze was watery and uncertain. Staring back into those eyes made Tsukishima wish he’d never been born.</p><p>	“I don’t think you could do something wrong if you tried,” Tsukishima admitted. His arms yearned to hold Kuroo, but he wasn’t sure what he’d be able to get away with in that moment. Touch wasn’t enough to fix things anymore. Tsukishima took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing mind.</p><p>	“Are you okay?” Kuroo asked. Tsukishima’s heart felt like it had been fully steamrolled. After everything he’d put Kuroo through, the man still had the balls to make sure Tsukishima wasn’t suffering. Tsukishima was downright going to hell.</p><p>	“I’m scared,” he admitted. He could feel his hands shaking at his sides, desperately clenching in on themselves. He felt so pathetic, so worthless in that moment. He was good for nothing if he couldn’t keep Kuroo happy. “Can we sit?” </p><p>	Kuroo sat gingerly on the bed, and Tsukishima watched him as he tried to slow the rapid jumping of his leg. Tsukishima sat carefully beside him, keeping a respectful distance just in case that would make him more comfortable. Tsukishima wished he knew what Kuroo wanted, wished he knew how to make things better- if there was even a surefire way.</p><p>	“I always admired you, Tetsuro,” Tsukishima said, letting Kuroo’s given name roll off his lips like honey. He watched Kuroo’s eyes widen at the use. Tsukishima hardly ever used his given name. “You’re passionate, even about things you probably shouldn’t be. You’re so full of life, and to be honest, I’m jealous of it. I didn’t know life until I met you. But I tried to. I tried to understand, and I did a lot of things to do that. I want you to know that I never wanted this to happen. You’re…” Tsukishima couldn’t pick a word to describe just what Kuroo was. He was all-consuming, earth-shattering, he was the light and the dark, the sun and the moon, he was the frost on the ground and the heatwaves in the air. “You’re life itself.</p><p>	“I don’t even remember how long it’s been, but it was quite a while before we met. When I was still searching for life. Tadashi was having a manic streak, and as much as it hurts me to admit this, I was running out of ways to save him from himself. He called me one night and told me he’d been hanging out with this girl. He’d been getting drugs from her, which turned into spending time together, which turned into them dating…” Tsukishima gulped as he considered how to precede. Kuroo looked at him with nothing but raw curiosity playing on his face. Tsukishima wanted nothing more than to crawl up and die.</p><p>	“One night, well into their relationship, Tadashi told me he was joining a street gang. Her street gang. Because that adorable, innocent girl he’d been seeing wasn’t innocent at all, and he was going to join a street gang for her. I don’t even remember if he tried to convince me to do it, all I know is that I wanted to follow him, to protect him from himself. So, I joined with him.” This was the part where Tsukishima sucked in a breath with more force than if he were drowning at sea. He watched Kuroo’s face as he took in the information, but instead of rage, or fear, or even disappointment, a look of numbness washed over him. It was more jarring than if he would have just broken up with him on the spot. So, he just kept talking.</p><p>	“It wasn’t that I cared about drugs, or street life, or any of it. I knew it existed- everyone does. I didn’t see that as a future for myself, but I didn’t see anything as a future. I just existed, and it was right there in front of me, and I…” If there was a feeling stronger than shame, he was feeling it times a thousand. “I stayed. I don’t know why I stayed. Maybe it’s because I knew I couldn’t leave. Maybe it’s because I didn’t want to leave. I don’t know why I stayed. I just… I did.” Tsukishima turned his gaze away from Kuroo. He couldn’t read the other man, whose gaze stayed trained on him as if he would melt into the floor if he didn’t. </p><p>	“I never told you because it wasn’t as big a part of my life for a while. They weren’t demanding much out of me, and all I ever wanted to think about was you. Of course, the second we move in together, they start demanding that I go each night to help with things. A lot of the people there genuinely care about it and genuinely want to see it do well, and now that I’m in it, I can’t just back out, even if I don’t understand why it matters so much to them.</p><p>	“I never told you because I didn’t want you to hate me. Or think I was dangerous. I didn’t want you to think I was some piece of shit loser who was gonna put you in danger. And you’re not. In danger, I mean. Besides Tadashi, none of them know you exist.”</p><p> </p><p>	“Are you in danger with them?” Kuroo asked weakly. Hearing his boyfriend’s voice cut through the thickness in the air was simultaneously like breathing for the first time and like having his put punched.</p><p>	“I’m not. I don’t think I ever was.” Tsukishima willed every last ounce of honesty into his voice, praying that Kuroo would be able to understand just how sincere he was saying that. Luckily, Kuroo nodded, a weak smile playing on his lips as his gaze finally broke from Tsukishima. He could practically feel the little remaining warmth leave his body as Kuroo’s gaze did.</p><p>	“As much as I hate that you’re doing this, I almost hate you more for making me worry sick instead of just telling me,” Kuroo admitted, chuckling carefully to himself.</p><p>	“I thought telling you would only make you worry more. Or hate me more. Or maybe you’d leave me. That’s so fucking selfish of me, I know that, but you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I’d hate myself to lose you because of a choice I made before I ever thought I’d love.” Without skipping a beat, Kuroo closed the distance between them, grabbing Tsukishima’s hands and pulling on them gingerly.</p><p>	“I’m not happy you’re doing this. I can’t honestly say I support it. But you gotta understand that nothing in this godforsaken world could ever make me leave you unless you told me that’s what you wanted. I hate that you’re doing this, and I hate that you kept it to yourself. But now that you’ve told me, I’m gonna help you get through it. You’re not alone anymore, Kei. Please don’t keep acting like you are.” </p><p>	That night marked the first time that Tsukishima had ever cried in Kuroo’s arms. He felt so stupid, so selfish for doing it. When Kuroo was the one that needed to cope, when Kuroo was the one that needed an explanation, comfort… of course it was Tsukishima who was bawling like a baby and of course it was Kuroo who had to be the one to console him. The whole situation was entirely backwards and Tsukishima felt like the world’s biggest asshole for putting Kuroo through all that he had.</p><p>Despite it all, Kuroo rocked his boyfriend lazily, stroking his back as he choked sobs into his chest, mucking up his shirt with drool and snot and regret. Kuroo didn’t mind, though. He’d gladly let Tsukishima get shit all over him if it just meant he could hold on a little longer. Everything had changed, and the weight of it had unknowingly settled heavily onto Kuroo’s shoulders. He may have just begged Tsukishima to be open with him, but he selfishly wouldn’t be returning the favor.</p><p> </p><p>				------------------------------------------</p><p>	With Tsukishima spending his nights at Karasuno, Kuroo began to spend his nights elsewhere too. Tsukishima didn’t mind as long as Kuroo let him know where he’d be. It might have been possessive and unfair, but he knew that Kuroo had been lapsing back into some old habits, and for the sake of his boyfriend’s safety, it was just better if Tsukishima could keep an eye on him.</p><p>	Tsukishima had met a fair amount of Kuroo’s friends, but he hadn’t met Satoru Inei. “He’s a social recluse,” Kuroo had explained one day over lunch. “I’ve known him practically since the womb ‘cuz our moms were good friends. I’ve tried to convince him that he should meet you, but he’s avidly against meeting anyone these days. He can’t even get a therapist to help him through it.” Tsukishima thought it sounded quite tragic, and being someone who also was strongly against foreign social interaction, he didn’t mind Satoru’s choice to remain strangers. Even still, when Kuroo started spending more and more time with him, Tsukishima got more curious about Satoru.</p><p>	“What does he do?” Tsukishima asked. Kuroo twisted his utensil, scooping up as much ramen as he could and shoveling the noodles in his mouth. He made a grotesque slurping sound that made Tsukishima cringe.</p><p>	“He’s into programming and coding and all that. Huge gamer nerd junk. I don’t know much about it,” he’d shrugged. “Damn. Why do I always end up hanging out with the nerds?”</p><p>	“Maybe because you’re one too,” Tsukishima smirked, clicking his tongue. Kuroo chuckled, kicking Tsukishima lightly under the table.</p><p>	Tsukishima pushed for more and more information as time went on, but had only gathered bits and pieces about this strange character. He knew that Satoru’s birthday was in October, that his favorite food was apple pie, and that he liked getting high more than he liked getting drunk (hence Kuroo’s spiraling addictions). He knew fun facts more than he knew his character, which was not satisfying information at all, to say the least. Still, he liked that Kuroo had someone to keep him company on the nights when he was gone.</p><p>	Tsukishima knew it wasn’t exactly allowed to disclose information about the crows, yet he found himself talking about their nightly events as though it was just another casual day at work. He’d come home, kick off his shoes, and join Kuroo on the couch. He’d plant a kiss on Kuroo’s forehead and ask, “how was your night,” to which Kuroo would respond with some outlandish story of how playing Call Of Duty high actually made it easier to find cheats. And of course, like the good boyfriend he was, Kuroo would always ask Tsukishima how things were going and if he was alright, to which Tsukishima would then, in the vaguest terms possible, talk about the happenings at Karasuno. Kuroo always listened intently, but never pressed for more than Tsukishima gave. As awful as Tsukishima felt about hiding such a big part of his life, Kuroo respected that Tsukishima had to honor the secrecy he’d been sworn to. </p><p>	“Besides, I think I’d be uncomfortable if I ever had to meet them. Oh, or god forbid I already knew them. I don’t think I’d be able to be so… suave about it,” Kuroo shuddered one night, cringing at the concept of having to play it cool when meeting the crows.</p><p>	Although their arrangement was significantly less than ideal, they made it work, and they made it their own. Coming and going, crossing paths one day and being parallel the next. Every moment they got with one another they cherished, and each moment they spent apart was just another story to tell when they reunited. Tsukishima considered himself the luckiest man on earth to have someone so willing, so caring to be there for him, even when the conditions were damn near impossible. Kuroo considered himself the most troubled.</p><p>	It took another few months for things to continue on their downward spiral.</p><p>	Tsukishima had gotten used to Kuroo’s smoking habits at this point, and nothing particularly bad had happened since he started up again. He was courteous enough to go out on the balcony and smoke, or pop open a window when it wasn’t too cold. If he was smoking with Satoru, he’d either stay the night or call another friend to give him a ride home.</p><p>	“It’s a huge pro to having an Uber driver friend,” Kuroo joked one day.</p><p>	Overall, Tsukishima didn’t mind Kuroo’s usage, so long as he didn’t stink up the apartment or get himself in any danger. Besides, he thought Kuroo looked sexy as all hell when he smoked, and he considered himself to be very privileged when he was home to witness it for himself. It wasn’t until Kuroo started using more than just weed that Tsukishima started to worry.</p><p>	Tsukishima had come home from a night at Karasuno and was perched on the couch watching a documentary, awaiting Kuroo’s return from a night with Satoru. It wasn’t often that Tsukishima beat Kuroo home, as the nights were late and they both had to work decently early in the morning. Kuroo had reassured Tsukishima that he didn’t need a ride home and that they’d be able to get some time together. Even still, it wasn’t until around 2am that the front door jiggled under the weight of Kuroo’s hand.</p><p>	Tsukishima waited on the couch for probably a solid minute and a half just listening to the door creak under Kuroo’s weight, listening to the door knob twist and jam as Kuroo desperately tried to unlock it. When he finally was able to bust in, the sight that Tsukishima was met with was almost frightening to take in.</p><p>	Kuroo’s hair was damp and he panted as if he’d just finished running a marathon. His clothes were disheveled and his footsteps were heavy and unbalanced as he stumbled around the front door, shutting it gracelessly behind him. He groaned grossly as he toed his shoes off, tossing his jacket down on the counter along with his keys. He didn’t seem to notice Tsukishima’s questioning gaze lingering on him as he moved towards the kitchen to wash his hands.</p><p>	Well, honestly he was less washing his hands as much as he was playing with the water. Tsukishima could see the steam rising off of Kuroo’s hands as they slid in and out of the stream of the faucet. Kuroo watched with intense interest, moving his hands in and out of the water, watching as the stream conformed to the shape and size of his hands, watching as the droplets rolled down his fingers and into the sink.</p><p>	That was when Kuroo realized that he could move his fingers too. He spread out his fingers, letting the water slide in between the cracks. He smiled lopsidedly, huffing out a laugh as he twisted and flexed his fingers in the water. It was the single most horrifying thing Tsukishima thought he’d ever seen with his own eyes. It was like Kuroo was possessed by some alien creature, something that had never known a normal human commodity like water. It was completely and entirely bizarre.</p><p>	“Kuroo,” Tsukishima called out softly. It was late, and clearly Kuroo wasn’t in a normal state of mind, and he didn’t want to startle him. Kuroo didn’t remove his gaze from the water, and didn’t seem to register Tsukishima’s voice. Tsukishima stood up from the couch and carefully made his way towards the counter. When he was close enough, he realized just how large Kuroo’s pupils were, as if the gold pools of his irises had been sucked in by a black hole. It was so surreal, so vast that Tsukishima almost truly did think he was possessed for a moment.</p><p>	“Kuroo,” Tsukishima called again. His voice was barely louder than a whisper, barely heavier than a rustling of wind. It was enough to catch Kuroo’s attention, as the raven-haired man turned his gaze from the sink to meet his boyfriend’s gaze. Even despite his drugged out state, Kuroo’s eyes seemed to flicker with recognition- with love.</p><p>	“Tsukki~” Kuroo drawled, leaning forward towards the space Tsukishima was occupying. “You’re home.”</p><p>	“I am,” Tsukishima confirmed lightly. He knew his face was contorted into a worrisome, disappointed stare, but his boyfriend didn’t seem to catch onto his fear. Instead, Kuroo just sniffed as he stared back into Tsukishima’s eyes, smiling lazily as if he was trying to flirt. “What are you on?”</p><p>	Kuroo giggled like a young girl. He shifted his gaze back down to the water, flicking his fingers back and forth under the stream. He seemed too wrapped up in the change of frequency that came with each movement in the water, hiss, hush, hiss, hush, hiss-</p><p>	“Kuroo.”</p><p>	“Tsukki.” Tsukishima could feel his heart race at speeds that his doctor would probably medicate him for. He could feel his chest caving in, his throat closing up, his eyes beginning to burn, his head spinning a million miles a minute.</p><p> “What are you on?” he asked again.</p><p>	“I was just at K…. Satoru’s,” Kuroo said, forehead twisting in concentration as he chose his words.</p><p>	“I know where you were, Kuroo. I’m asking what you took while you were over there.” Tsukishima stood there, staring at his distracted boyfriend for what felt like a thousand lifetimes. He could hear his own breathing, which was unhealthily erratic with the sheer anxiety he felt clawing at his heart. It was entirely possible that Tsukishima hadn’t been this afraid in his whole life, and he wasn’t sure why.</p><p>	“I dunno… he had these pills… tabs? Yeah, tabs,” Kuroo said, nodding to himself.</p><p>	“Fuck, Kuroo… acid?” Tsukishima asked. He hated just how small his voice was in that moment. He needed to be the stronger one, just for once. He needed to care for Kuroo before Kuroo could care for him, just for once.</p><p>	“Well, jeez, Tsukki, I don’t know the scientific name,” Kuroo said, suddenly throwing the tap off and catching the counter with both hands. The outburst startled Tsukishima, who crept over to where Kuroo was standing to help him balance. “‘Sides, I didn’t really ask for the details. Was already high before I took it.” Fucking great.</p><p>	“Do you… feel sick?” Tsukishima asked, slinging one of Kuroo’s shaking arms around his neck, carefully guiding him away from the counter and into their bedroom.</p><p>	“Ha… yeah, I feel fucking rad, Tsukki. You should t-try it sometime,” Kuroo said, chummily patting Tsukishima’s shoulder as they walked. His footsteps were uneven, causing the pair to stumble through their walk.</p><p>	“Kuroo, please,” Tsukishima begged. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was asking for, only that he needed something, anything to reassure him that things were going to be okay. “I need you to tell me if you feel okay.”</p><p>	Kuroo flopped lazily onto the bed, sinking into it easily. He sighed heavily, letting his eyes flutter closed. “I feel fine, swear,” he said, curling up into himself on the edge of the bed. “So tired, though.”</p><p>	“I’ll call us off work tomorrow,” Tsukishima said, pulling Kuroo upright to undress him from his clothes.</p><p>	“Ooh, vacation day? God, I’d love a vacation day,” Kuroo hummed. He was a deadweight in Tsukishima’s hands, refusing to cooperate but not fighting back. It was as if he’d lost complete control of his body, unable to even register touch on his skin. “Tsukki! Don’t move!” Kuroo exclaimed, suddenly jolting and grabbing hold of Tsukishima’s face.</p><p>	Kuroo stared into his eyes with wonder, a smile curving his lips upwards as he examined Tsukishima’s face. “Your eyes are swirling,” he mumbled breezily. “Like little tiny bees are mixing honey in there. Do you have bees in your eyes?” </p><p>	“No, I don’t have bees in my eyes,” Tsukishima said. It was so hard to not get irritated with the incapacitated Kuroo, but he needed to stay calm. It was all he could do. “It’s late. You need to go to bed.”</p><p>	“Will you come to bed with me, Tsukki?” Kuroo asked, pawing at the front of Tsukishima’s sweatshirt. </p><p>	“I’m gonna sleep on the couch tonight.” It physically hurt him to say that and watch Kuroo’s face fall, but he couldn’t bring himself to lay beside the other man that night. It wasn’t out of resentment or any negative feelings, he loved Kuroo now the way he always had. Kuroo needed no distractions, he needed to sleep easily and however he felt most comfortable. Even though Tsukishima would be dangling off of the couch and likely wake up with the world’s worst back pain, it was worth it if it meant that Kuroo would wake up feeling better than he was now.</p><p>	“I’ll sleep on the couch with you,” Kuroo offered, laying back down on the bed gracelessly.</p><p>	“We can’t both fit on the couch,” Tsukishima pointed out, tugging the blankets off of the bed for Kuroo to get under. “It wouldn’t be very comfy.”</p><p>	“This bed is comfy though! And it moves!”</p><p>	“The bed isn’t moving, Kuroo,” Tsukishima said with a sigh.</p><p>	“Yuh-huh!” Kuroo wiggled around as if to prove that the bed was squirming with him. “See? It’s like waves. Like I’m surfing or something.”</p><p>	“You don’t even know how to surf,” Tsukishima said, making note to tuck Kuroo in extra tight.</p><p>	“I’m learning right now!” Kuroo huffed, his movement restricted by the force of Tsukishima’s tucking talents. </p><p>	“I’m gonna get you water and some tissues in case you wake up. And a trash can.” God forbid Kuroo couldn’t make it to the bathroom on time if he was getting sick. “I’ll leave the door open a crack in case you need me. Just yell for me if you do,” Tsukishima said, backing out of the room. </p><p>	Tsukishima hadn’t even fished a cup out of the cupboard when he heard Kuroo’s voice, “Tsukki!”</p><p>	“Kuroo.”</p><p>	“I looooove yoooooou!”</p><p>	“I love you too.”</p><p>	By the time Tsukishima had everything ready to take to Kuroo, he’d already fallen fast asleep, his face resting peacefully and his already insane bedhead laying sporadically on the pillow. Kuroo, even at his worst, was the most perfect thing Tsukishima had ever seen with his own eyes. </p><p>	Tsukishima had never slept so terribly in his life. He tossed and turned, as much as the couch would allow him to. His feet were cold and the throw blanket couldn’t quite cover his entire length. The pillow rested uncomfortably on the arm rest, making his neck ache with the strain. Even with all of the physical discomfort, it was his concern for Kuroo that kept him awake. It pained him to watch the love of his life disappear down such a dark spiral. It hurt him to know that Kuroo’s bad habits were a result of his own choices.</p><p>	No, no he couldn’t do this to himself. Kuroo had been using drugs since long before he met Tsukishima. There was no real reason for him to blame himself. Sure, he’d been sober during their honeymoon period, but that kind of high is a drug in itself. There was no telling if Kuroo would have started using again, even if the crows weren’t part of the equation. Blaming himself would only make him go crazy. It wasn’t worth it. </p><p>	Even if it weighed on him with the force of the Earth itself.</p><p>	The morning that followed wasn’t peaceful either. Kuroo was woozy and ill, his head was spinning and his stomach was tight. Tsukishima had called them off work and dedicated his time to making sure Kuroo was able to get back on his feet. After a nap, a lot of water, and a decent meal, he was somewhat back on his feet. Kuroo apologized to Tsukishima over and over, emphasizing how bad he felt that Tsukishima had to take care of him. Tsukishima reassured him that he didn’t mind, and truth be told, he never minded taking care of someone he loved. </p><p>	Despite Kuroo’s frantic apologies, however, his actions didn’t slow. It wasn’t every night, of course, but it was often enough to create a routine between them. On those nights, Kuroo would come home, stand at the sink for a while, and eventually Tsukishima would get him to bed. He couldn’t call them off work every time, though, as it was getting to be too often that they couldn’t avoid suspicion. Most times, he would just call Kuroo off and force himself to leave in the morning. By that point, though, Kuroo had gotten used to getting himself out of his hungover slump. Tsukishima hated leaving Kuroo on his own like that, but he hated even more that Kuroo kept making those same decisions, knowing the outcome was never pretty.</p><p>	Was it a healthy relationship anymore? Tsukishima found himself sitting at his desk, tapping his pencil rapidly as his mind raced. His work lay out in front of him, but he was in a whole other world, unable to process anything about newfound research. He couldn’t stop thinking about Kuroo- how they’d met, how they’d gotten together, every little step on the way that led them to where they were now. All of the light touches and easy smiles and holding hands in the streets. The lunches at work, the peppering kisses, the way they were able to coexist in silence and in company. Was all of that gone now? Was that reality obtainable anymore?</p><p>	His nights with the crows riddled him with guilt. He honestly cared about them, and was genuinely enjoying his role there. He felt better knowing Tadashi wasn’t alone, too. Yet, every time he went, he felt like his heart was beating harder and faster, as if his anxiety was screaming at him to leave. He could never bring himself to, though. His priorities were beyond his own understanding at that point, and he didn’t feel like fighting with himself.</p><p>	For a while, that reality with Kuroo, the honeymoon high, was all Tsukishima wanted. He worked so hard to get that reality back- bringing home flowers from a vendor, surprising Kuroo with lunch dates, buying things that reminded him of his boyfriend. He was so desperate, yearning for that reality to return to them. Selfishly, he was tired of Kuroo putting himself in danger, leaving Tsukishima to clean up the mess. He knew Kuroo never meant to put Tsukishima in that position, but yet, he ended up there every time. What would it take for Kuroo to stop? What would it take for that reality to belong to them again?</p><p>	It was so far, yet, close enough to wonder; Was it reachable?</p><p>	No. No, it no longer was. </p><p>	Because in that moment, as Tsukishima stood in the fanciest mansion he’d ever seen, alongside his crows, faced with strangers and those who weren’t, the weight of the world sunk down in his chest, settled deep in his stomach, and nothing mattered anymore. Because in that moment, any hope of that honeymoon high was demolished, and along with it went his perception of the love of his life.</p><p>	He couldn’t hear anything, couldn’t see anything that wasn’t Kuroo’s face staring back at him with that goddamn devilish smirk. His eyes gleamed, his lips curved maliciously. He looked just like the person Tsukishima always knew him to be, and yet, he didn’t know him at all. This wasn’t Tetsuro, it couldn’t be.</p><p>	And yet, he found himself calling out Kuroo’s name, he found himself bearing the weakest parts of himself as he called out, reaching for the only thing that could keep him sane.</p><p>	“It seems you’ve found me. Congratulations, dear.” Tsukishima couldn’t even feel the heat on his skin where Kuroo kissed his forehead. Everything was numb, as if he was looking down on himself from a different perspective. He could see the eyes of the other crows trained on him, but he couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t say anything, couldn’t explain anything to them. He could barely explain this to himself.</p><p>	“Y-you? Why didn’t you-”</p><p>“Me, darling,” Kuroo smiled. “Sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner.”</p><p>Tsukishima was tired of trying. He was tired of fighting for a perfect world. The perfect reality where he and the person he loved could be safe, where they could live easily and be happy in their perfect state of bliss. He was so angry with himself for fighting for that so hard. So angry for fighting for perfection.</p><p>Any reality, no matter how flawed, would be better than this one.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>when i tell y'all that my ass is getting kicked.... i mean it....</p><p>i wrote this chapter using some blessed snow days that i desperately needed. it hurt. a lot. this chapter was just straight angst and i sincerely apologize if i've hurt your feelings. the next few chapters will be angsty too, but i promise it's not as bad as this one. yet. haha. </p><p>THANK YOU FOR READING MWAH I LOVE YOU</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am absolutely mind-blown that I'm doing this.</p><p>I've wanted to write stories since I was a little kid, but never have I actually completed a coherent piece before. I'm so incredibly proud of this first chapter, and I can't wait to expand this story. I intend for it to go on for several chapters, and I'm hoping that by the end the characters and the story are able to come to life and make y'all feel things. And yes, I'm gonna write a whole lot of angst in this. I am wildly excited to continue writing.</p><p>This idea was inspired by multiple fanarts that I've seen, if you guys want I'll certainly try to find them and link them.</p><p>To anyone reading this, thank you, and I really appreciate you :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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